Epaper – September 13 KHI 2020

CMYK

13 September, 2020 I 24 Muharram, 1442 I Rs 25.00 I Vol XI No 74 I 40 Pages I Karachi Edition

Manhunt launChed after susPeCts of Motorway gang-raPe identified g

CM BUzDAR AnnOUnCeS RS2.5M ReWARD eACH FOR PeRSOnS WHO HeLPeD In IDenTIFyInG THe SUSPeCTS

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

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He Punjab government has launched a manhunt to arrest the suspects in the Lahore motorway gang rape case after having identified both by using “scientific techniques”.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said on Saturday that two culprits who gang-raped and looted a woman near Gujarpura on Lahore-Sialkot motorway have been identified.

However, the suspects had escaped the scene by the police raided the identified area.

Addressing a press conference along with Inspector General of Police Punjab (IGP) Inam Ghani and Law Minister Raja Basharat, Usman Buzdar said that Punjab police have identified both gang-rape suspects within less than 72 hours.

The CM said the "beasts" involved in the incident will soon be arrested and given appropriate punishment as per the law. He added that he has directed the Punjab Police and other departments to take effective measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

The chief minister said he had personally talked to the victim and assured her of justice.

He announced a reward of Rs2.5 million each for the persons that helped lead to the identification of the suspects.

Punjab Inspector General of Police Inam Ghani said it was confirmed through scientific evidence last night that the primary suspect in the case is one Abid Ali, a resident of Fort

Coronavirus in

Pakistan

ConFirMed CaSeS:

300,955

LaSt updated at 7:57 aM on SepteMber 12 2020

day'S death toLL:

new CaSeS:

3

584

reCovered:

deathS:

288,536 6,373 Sindh:

131,675 kp:

36,862

punjab:

97,602 baLoChiStan:

13,401

ajk/gb: iSLaMabad: 2,389/3,164 15,862

Abbas in Bahawalnagar district.

He said police initially only had the information that the DnA samples collected from the crime scene matched with the samples in government records of a minor suspect collected in some other case.

"We dug through the records to obtain details of the suspect and got hold of his identity card and [cellphone] number. We traced him to his address and obtained all the details.

"After checking the record we had previously and the phones he had, we found that he had four sims registered in his name but he also had another sim not in his name. Geofencing confirmed his location and we were also able to reach his accomplice through this."

IGP Ghani said police were "95-96pc" sure of the identity of Ali's accomplice, whose presence at the crime scene was shown by telephone data. They were also able to obtain his address and CnIC number.

"We were ready by today afternoon to conduct raids at their houses and arrest them but we found they were not in Lahore but in a village, Qila Sattar Shah, in district Sheikhupura," he said.

Continued on page 05

Lahore CCpo iSSued Show-CauSe notiCe NEWS DESK: Inspector General of Police (IG)-Punjab Inam Ghani has issued a show-cause notice to Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umer Sheikh over his remarks in which he had favoured the culprits and blamed the victim of the Lahore motorway gang-rape.

This was informed by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar during a press conference on Saturday. While announcing major investigation breakthroughs in the case, CM Buzdar, who was flanked by the IGP and two ministers, said the CCPO had given an "irrelevant statement". "The IG has issued him a show-cause notice [for this statement] and directed him to submit a reply within seven days." Buzdar said that legal action would be taken against the CCPO after the submission of his reply. Two ‘robbers’ allegedly raped a woman at gunpoint in Gujjarpura area on Wednesday while she was waiting for help on the motorway after her car developed a fault. In his statement on the incident on Thursday, the CCPO implied that the victim shared responsibility for her rape. He claimed that the victim, who is a foreign national, thought it was safe to travel at night with her kids.

He also said the victim was at fault for "choosing the route she took and not checking her petrol tank" before heading out. Soon after the comment was made on a TV channel, Twitter burst with thousands of users demanding removal of the CCPO with trending hashtags such as #RemoveCCPOLahore and #DismissCCPOLahore.

Chinese vaccine trial to start in Pakistan in 10 days: Asad Umar ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Minister Asad Umar, announced on Saturday that the phase-3 trial of a Chinese vaccine for the coronavirus will begin in Pakistan in 10 days.

“Pakistan will be participating in phase 3 trials of a Chinese developed vaccine for coronavirus,” tweeted the minister. He added that the “trials in Pakistan will start in about 10 days.” earlier this week it was reported that the falling Covid19 infection numbers in Pakistan will not affect a Phase 3 clinical trial for a potential vaccine being developed by China’s CanSino Biologics. The report had also said that trials will begin this month, according to officials running the trial.

Pakistan’s drug regulator last month gave the goahead for the country’s first Phase 3 clinical trial for CanSino’s candidate, Ad5nCoV, which will be led by the government-run national Institute of Health (nIH) along

Kabul for ceasefire as peace talks with Taliban begin DOHA TLTP

The Afghan government called for an immediate ceasefire from the Taliban as the two sides met face to face for the first time on Saturday to begin what are expected to be protracted negotiations to end nearly two

decades of conflict.

"We have to use this exceptional opportunity for peace," Abdullah Abdullah, the former chief executive of Afghanistan who is heading the peace process for Kabul, said at the talks' opening ceremony in the Qatari capital Doha. "We have to stop violence and agree on a ceasefire as

soon as possible. We want a humanitarian ceasefire."

Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also addressed the opening session of the talks, which came about after a US-Taliban peace agreement signed in February.

Continued on page 05

Start of intra-afghan talks result of combined efforts: FM ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that commencement of intra-Afghan negotiations is the fruit of “our combined efforts.” Addressing the opening ceremony of the intraAfghan negotiations through video link, the foreign minister said that Pakistan has long maintained that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. Political solution is the only way forward, he added. The FM said, “We are gratified that our perspective is now widely shared across the international community. We are also gratified that we have fulfilled our part of the responsibility.” The foreign minister noted that Pakistani citizens and law enforcement officials have rendered invaluable sacrifices in the war against terrorism. The foreign minister paid tribute to Pakistan's efforts for bringing about peace in Afghanistan, saying that everyone's joint efforts are paying off as both sides take to the table for talks. He said that durable peace in Afghanistan is in Pakistan's interest as well. The foreign minister said that it is now for the Afghan leaders to seize this historic opportunity, work together constructively, and secure an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement. He said that spoilers, from within and from without, will pose formidable challenges.

Constant vigilance will be required to guard against their machinations, he added. Qureshi reassured that Pakistan will always be in full support and solidarity with Afghans as they continue their momentous journey on the path of peace, security and development. He said Pakistan will always support a peaceful, stable, united, democratic, prosperous and sovereign Afghanistan, at peace with itself and with its neighbours. Suggesting a four-pronged way forward, the minister called upon the international community and all concerned to come forward and continue to support the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process while respecting the consensus that emerges from the intra-Afghan negotiations. Secondly, he called upon the global community to ensure that Afghanistan neither witnesses the violence of the days in the past again nor becomes a space for elements to harm other countries beyond its borders. STAFF REPORT

with pharmaceutical company AJM — the local representative of CanSino.

“We are planning to launch the project on September 20, or at the latest within this month,” said Hassan Abbas zaheer, who is heading the trial for AJM. The Ad5nCoV vaccine and placebo injections are due to be received in Pakistan next week.

Daily positive cases in Pakistan peaked at more than 6,000 in June, but have since fallen sharply, with only 426 confirmed new cases detected on September 8 — taking its total to 299,659 and 6,359 deaths. zaheer said the low positive rates did not indicate Covid-19 was no longer present in the country, and the potential for people vaccinated in the trial to be infected was still adequate for testing their immunity. “We feel people are still getting infected but not getting tested, so the virus is still there,” he said.

Pakistan, a country of more than 220 million people, has been testing between 20,000 to 30,000 daily.

more inside

PML-N moves LHC to remove ‘corrupt’ Lahore police chief Story on page 03

CM Murad seeks help from intl community on Sindh flooding Story on page 04

Govt irked over lack of Aviation Division's involvement in Roosevelt Hotel matters Story on page 05 in today’s issue

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Contact: 0307-7338168 irfan.farooq@pakistantoday.com.pk

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Sunday, 13 September, 2020

NEWS

CoronAviruS ClAimS tHree more liveS, infeCtS AnotHer 584

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NEWS DESK

HRee more patients have succumbed to the coronavirus in Pakistan, all of them in Sindh, as the country recorded another 584 new cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours.

The death toll from the highly contagious disease has now risen to 6,373, said the National Command and Operation

Centre (NCOC) on Saturday.

According to the NCOC, 584 more people tested positive for the infection during the last twenty-four hours, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the country to 300,955. As many as 288,536 Covid-19 patients have recovered from the disease, pushing the number of active cases down to 6,046. A total of 29,534 samples were tested during the previous 24 hours, out of which 584 turned out to be positive.

AJK president condemns frequent unprovoked firing by india at loC

So far, more than 2.8 million tests have been conducted across the country. At present, 1,012 patients are under treatment in 735 hospitals across the country, out of whom 93 are on ventilators.

It is pertinent to mention here that the global tally of coronavirus cases stands at 28,700,866. While 20,610,944have recovered, 920,549 have died so far. The US, the worst-hit country, has 6,635,933 cases. It is followed by India, which has 4,657,379

cases, Brazil has 4,283,978 and Russia has 1,051,874 confirmed cases.

India has recorded its biggest 24-hour spike of 97,654 coronavirus cases. With this, India’s tally has surged to 4,657,379.

Death toll currently stands at 77,506.

In the past seven days, India has recorded 636,889 Covid cases. After a record daily spike of 248,86 cases, Maharashtra’s Covid tally crosses 1-million mark. Kerala’s total number of coronavirus cases has surpassed 100,000 and Uttar Pradesh’s tally is nearing 300,000.

Delhi reported 4,266 fresh corona cases, taking the tally to over 209,000.

Sixty per cent of the daily new Covid-19 recoveries in India are from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, which also account for 57 per cent of the new cases.

Shehbaz asks court to hear defamation case against PM Imran on daily basis NEWS DESK

MIRPUR APP

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Muhammad Masood Khan on Saturday condemned frequent unprovoked shelling in Dara Sher Khan, Tatta Pani and Chakoti sectors of the Line of Control (LOC) in AJK by the Indian forces. The firing resulted in the martyrdom of a teenage girl and injured to two others including an elderly woman. In a statement issued from Jammu and Kashmir House on Saturday, the AJK president condemned the targeting of the civilian population in the strongest terms and described it a cowardly act by the Indian army. He said the Indian Army was violating international law by deliberately violating the ceasefire agreement and targeting unarmed civilians, especially women and children. “It is an attempt by India to divert the world's attention from the situation in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir", he added. The president said these negative tactics of India could neither stop people of Occupied valley from fighting for freedom nor could the world be deceived and maintained that India's 900,000 troops were involved in the worst human rights violations, massacres of innocent people and war crimes against humanity in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. To cover up their crimes and divert the world's attention from the overall situation in the IIOJK, the occupying forces are continuously targeting the citizens of Azad Kashmir living in the areas adjacent to the Line of Control. He said the Pakistan Army was responding to the cowardly actions of the Indian forces and very carefully target only the enemy's military installations but the Indian army had shifted its artillery inside the population in Indian Occupied Kashmir to use civilians as a human shield.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly, Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, has requested that the court hear a defamation case against Prime Minister Imran Khan on daily basis.

Taking to Twitter to talk about the case, Shehbaz Sharif said that the Prime Minister had sought 33 deferments so far in the case. The case was

filed years ago when Imran Khan, then still only in the opposition, claimed that Shehbaz Sharif had once offered him a bribe of Rs 10 billion. According to the PML-N President, Imran Khan has failed to submit a writtern reply to the court even after three years have passed, which is why he has requested that the case be heard on a daily basis.

In a different statement, Sharif said that a forensic laboratory was set up in the government of the PML-N under the leadership of Mian Nawaz

Sharif. “Nations are not created by slogans and false accusations,” he said. “When the PML-N government’s term ended in 2018, the price of sugar was Rs 58. Today it is being sold for more than Rs 100.”

He said that the wheat harvesting season is not over yet and wheat has disappeared, flour prices have skyrocketed. “If there is nothing to do but to put the opponents against the wall, then the common man looks at the sky in confusion,” he said.

Aziz Bhatti Shaheed remembered on martyrdom anniversary NEWS DESK The nation remembered Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed on his 55th martyrdom anniversary on Saturday.

Born in Hong Kong in 1928, Aziz Bhatti moved to Pakistan before Independence in 1947 and lived in the village of Ladian, Kharian, Gujarat.

There he enlisted with the newly formed Pakistani Army and was commissioned to the Punjab Regiment in 1950.

Aziz was posted in the Burki area of Lahore sector. As the company commander, he decided to move his platoon forward under constant and heavy firing from Indian tanks and artillery.

On 6 September 1965, as a Company Commander in the Burki area of the Lahore sector, Major Bhatti chose to stay with his forward platoon under incessant artillery and tank attacks for five days and nights in the defence of the strategic BRB Canal.

Throughout, undaunted by constant fire from enemy small arms, tanks and artillery, he organized the defence of the canal, directing his men to answer the fire until he was hit by an enemy tank shell and embraced martyrdom on September 12, 1965.

He was awarded the Nishan-eHaider (Sign of the Lion), on March 23, 1966 which is Pakistan’s highest military award for gallantry for the exemplary courage he displayed until his martyrdom.

BAP’s Khalid Bizenjo elected as senator from Balochistan QUETTA: Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader Muhammad Khalid Bizenjo was declared winner in the polling on the Senate seat from Balochistan on Saturday. The senate seat from Balochistan had fallen vaccant after the recent death of Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo. Mir Khalid Bizenjo from Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Dr Muneer Baloch from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Ghaus from Jamiat Uleme-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) contested the election. Later, the PTI announced its support for the BAP’s contestant after holding a meeting with the provincial ministers and candidate of BAP. The BAP candidate and provincial ministers held a meeting with PTI’s parliamentary leader in the Balochistan Assembly, Yar Muhammad Rind. The PTI decided to vote for BAP’s Mir Khalid Bizenjo after meeting a delegation comprising the candidate himself alongside other leaders including Salim Khosa, Mitha Khan, Lala Rasheed Dashti.

According to regulations, 64 out of 65 lawmakers from the provincial assembly are allowed to cast votes. The provincial election commission said that two votes were rejected. BAP has overall 24 seats in the Balochistan Assembly, whereas, JUI-F and Balochistan National Party (BNP) have 10 seats each, PTI, 7, Awami National Party (ANP), 4, and BNP Awami, 3, Hazara Democratic Party (HDP), 2, Jamhoori Wattan Party (JWP), 1, Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), 1, and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), 1. TLTP

Heavy rain alert for Sindh issued KARACHI: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Sindh on Saturday issued a weather advisory predicting heavy rains across the province. According to the PMDA, heavy downpours are expected in southeast Sindh in 24 hours. In a letter addressed to DCs and DDMOs, the PDMA said that a new spell of monsoon rains is likely to hit parts of Sindh from tomorrow. The PDMA has asked concerned authorities to take precautionary measures to avoid loss of lives during rains predicted in the province. TLTP

Process initiated to remove legal barrier for outsourcing major airports of Pakistan ISLAMABAD AHAMDAHMADANI

The Aviation Division has initiated a process to get rid of legal obstacles in the way of outsourcing major airports of the country, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Multan.

The move comes in an apparent bid to pave the path for outsourcing major airports of the country to foreign companies.

The Aviation Division has already submitted three bills to the Law Division in this regard, including Civil Aviation Bill 2020, Civil Aviation Authority Ordinance (Amendment) Bill 2020, and Pakistan Airport Authority Bill 2020.

The bills were sent for processing and ratification on August 15th this year. Before this, the Aviation Division had also made a move to enact the segregation of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA). This would be done by establishing two separate authorities, namely the existing PCAA with a diminished role and a new authority by the name of the Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA). This segregation move is currently in progress on fast track basis.

Sources said that the Aviation Division will submit a summary containing Civil Aviation Bill 2020 and Civil Aviation Au-

thority Ordinance (Amendment) Bill 2020 to the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC) within one week from the date of receipt of vetting by the law division. They said that the PCAA Board has already granted in principle approval for amendment in CAA Service Regulations while formal approval in this regard will be made on 30th September 2020.

It has also been revealed that detailed work related to functional separation of PCAA has already been completed, and formal approval from the CAA Board will also be made by 30th September 2020. Process of outsourcing of the major airports will be carried out in the two phases, said sources.

According to documents, engagement of the audit firm to work out the most efficient structure for corporatization and to identify best options/models for outsourcing will be done in Phase-I and hiring a financial advisor through Privatization Commission for the transaction in Phase-II. And, it is being proposed that instead of the earlier cabinet committee, a committee under Minister for Aviation may be constituted with Advisor to PM on Institutional Reforms, Chairman Board of Investment (BOI) and Secretary Aviation Division as

members for Phase-I while timeline specified in the committee report is 04 months.

The Aviation Division suggested that since the tasks were already in advance stages of implementation, the committee formed by the cabinet under Advisor to the PM on Commerce may be discontinued.

However, for the task relating to the engagement of an audit firm to work on the most efficient structure for the Pakistan Airports Authority and for corporatization, it was proposed that a committee under Minister fro Aviation may be constituted with Advisor to PM on Institutional Reforms, Chairman BOI and Secretary Aviation as member, said documents.

The sources said that the federal government has been paving the path to outsource major airports of the country to foreign companies and a committee led by Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood has submitted a report to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan in this regard.

They said that the cabinet committee headed by Razak Dawood, in a report titled “Report on Outsourcing of Major Airports of Pakistan,” has recommended the establishment of two separate authorities namely Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) and

Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA). They said PCAA would be entrusted with regulatory functions and PAA would look after the commercial aspects of the airports while the functional separation of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) would be performed after obtaining approval from the CAA board. The committee also recommended that airports should not be outsourced to foreign nationals originating from countries like India or Israel.

According to documents available with Pakistan Today, a committee comprising of adviser to prime minister on commerce and investment, minister for aviation, adviser to prime minister on overseas Pakistanis and human resource development, adviser to the prime minister on parliamentary affairs, Board of Investment chairman and the Aviation Division secretary was constituted to evaluate various options for outsourcing major airports of the country.

This committee has so far convened six meetings including meetings with the Ministry of Defence and other stakeholders and has submitted a report of its findings to the prime minister.

As per documents, the Civil Aviation Ordinance, 1960 will be replaced with the new Civil Aviation Bill, 2020 while the Civil Aviation Authority Ordinance, 1982 will be

amended to exclude the function of airport services and air navigation services.

Similarly, after approval of the proposal for the establishment of PAA, the PAA Bill 2020 will be prepared for improving the services efficiency of the airports. This bill will have enabling provisions for incorporation of subsidiaries under the Companies Act, 2017. Furthermore, airports and air navigation assets will be transferred from the existing authority to the newly established authority by law.

Sources further said that the PM has been informed regarding Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision pertaining to outsourcing of airports in which the court had limited the scope of outsourcing of airports to provision of airport services like car parking. They further said that the Supreme Court in a decision dated February 19. 2020 had also directed that no land around the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi will be used for any commercial exploitation.

Sources said that the federal government has advised the Aviation Division to clear the reservation of courts and inform them that airports will be outsourced under international standards. The prime minister also directed that the matter should be presented before the law committee of the cabinet.

Sunday, 13 September, 2020

NEWS

PML-N MoveS LHC to reMove ‘CorruPt’ LaHore PoLiCe CHief LAHORE

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STAFF REPORT

HE Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) on Saturday approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) to submit additional documents in an earlier petition challenging the appointment of Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umer Sheikh.

The petition, submitted by PML-N leader Malik Mohammad Ahmed Khan, seeks the court’s approval to submit additional evidence in the primary petition, also filed by Khan on Wednesday, challenging the Punjab government’s decision to remove Shoaib Dastagir from the post of inspector general of police (IGP) following a rift with Sheikh.

The politician’s first petition in the LHC argued that pre-mature transfers in the police force violated the Police Order

(2002) and the Punjab government’s rules of business. It urged the court to declare notifications regarding the appointment of the provincial police officer and Lahore CCPO as “unconstitutional”.

The petition was filed a day after the federal government, while removing Dastagir, appointed Inam Ghani as the new Punjab police chief — the sixth police chief of the province since the PTI came into power two years ago.

Dastagir had stopped working after Sheikh, who was posted as Lahore CCPO earlier this month, allegedly spoke against him during a meeting with senior officers.

Dastagir reportedly later met the prime minister and the chief minister and sought a probe into the alleged misconduct by the new CCPO and appropriate action, asking to otherwise be transferred to another position, which he ultimately was.

The first hearing on the petition was

held in the LHC on Sept 10 which was presided over by LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan. The next hearing is scheduled for Sept 14 (Monday).

Ahmed’s latest petition stated that since the Sept 10 hearing, certain “critical facts” have come into public knowledge regarding the Lahore CCPO and his competence. “The CCPO is allegedly ‘corrupt financially and morally’ and has been accused of misuse of authority by the Central Selection Board as a consequence [of which] his promotion was suppressed,” it read. The petition also refers to the Sheikh’s recent remarks on the motorway incident implying that the victim shared responsibility for her rape, terming it a demonstration of his “deeprooted misogyny and incompetence”.

“A few days after [Sheikh’s] appointment he committed insubordination of his superior IG and passed derogatory remarks against his superiors and later

Soldier embraces martyrdom in ieD blast in Miranshah

demonstrated deep-rooted misogyny and incompetence when he blamed a rape victim for her rape on the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway,” the petition stated.

“The performance of the CCPO is ample evidence for the petitioners that the provincial government has not exercised its discretion reasonably and justly while appointing the CCPO,” it added.

Ahmed requested the court to allow the submission of several news reports related to the CCPO, including about a declaration signed by senior police officers seeking action against him, dismissal of a report by the Intelligence Bureau regarding his alleged corruption and about a demand by civil society and rights activists for his removal.

The petition, which will be heard by the LHC on Monday, requests the court to allow the submission of these documents and suspend the notification of the CCPO’s appointment.

Centre-Sindh cooperation for Karachi’s betterment ‘a good omen’: Sheikh Rashid LAHORE

Bilawal wants Watan Cards for flood affectees MIRPUR KHAS TLTP

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday demanded the federal government issue Watan Cards to flood affectees. Talking to journalists in Mirpur Khas, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the problems of flood affectees will not be resolved by only distributing ration among them. He maintained that the farmers are facing problems due to floods and attacks of locusts. The PPP chairman demanded the centre to declare an emergency across the country and help the small farmers. Earlier, President Dr Arif Alvi and Sindh Governor Imran Ismail had distributed relief goods among the affectees of flood-hit areas in Mirpur Khas.

Courts being stopped to dispense justice: Sanaullah LAHORE TLTP

Former Punjab law minister, Rana Sanaullah, claimed on Saturday that courts are being stopped from providing justice to opposition leaders, because the government is trying to play revenge politics through the courts. Talking to the media outside the courthouse on Saturday, where he was appearing in a drug related case against him, the PML-N leader said that opposition leaders were being systematically targeted by the government through the legal system. Sanaullah, who could not be indicted in the drugs smuggling case on Saturday, said that families of judges who hear cases against opposition parties are being monitored. “As you know, judges are also being contacted through WhatsApp messages,” he said. Further criticising the accountability process in the country, Sanaullah said that everyone “from the chairman NAB to his assistant are being held hostage and are being blackmailed”. “Even the questions they ask are handed to them from somewhere else,” he said. “By creating this environment of fear in the country, we are pushing it towards anarchy and chaos,” he added. The PML-N leader said that the law and order in the country has become a “total failure”. Sanaullah criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan over his earlier remarks on dual nationals when he said that they should not be allowed to become members of the parliament. He accused the Prime Minister of following double standards when it came to his own advisers and assistants who were dual nationals, adding that the entire nation was witnessing how the government was focused on the politics of vendetta.

APP

Pakistan Railways (PR) Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said that the federal and Sindh governments partnership for the betterment of Karachi is a good omen for the country’s future.

Addressing a press conference at the Railways headquarters here on Saturday, the minister gave statements on multiple current issues.

He strongly condemned the motorway rape incident a few days ago. “We have been ashamed in front of the whole world due to this incident,” he said.

Rasheed said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, under the leadership of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, would complete its five-year tenure, predicting that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would be divided into parts by the end of December this year while the “PML-Shehbaz” could part ways with the PML-Nawaz. He said that the courts were now questioning Nawaz Sharif’s illness as to how it was possible that a person suffering from a serious illness had not been admitted to any hospital.

About the railways, the minister said that several

steps were being taken for its improvement and that the PR had decided to reduce the fare of the airconditioned business class by 10 per cent, and A/C standard class by 5 per cent. “The trains schedule would also be improved soon,” he added.

He also announced that dinning cars which had been removed from the trains due to coronavirus while were being restored from Monday.

He said that the Main Line-1 (ML-1) was a gamechanger project and soon transportation of wheat and sugar would be carried out by the Railways across the country. He said that the cargo system of the railways was also being improved and now home delivery service would be started by it.

To a question about disturbed train timetable, the minister said that heavy rains had flooded Karachi and other areas of Sindh, which badly affected the train schedule. The minister said that Karachi was being made into a mini headquarter of the Pakistan Railways and officers from the headquarters would be transferred to Karachi so that they could be made part of the operational system.

He said that arrears of pension would be given to the employees now, instead of giving money to the contractors.

Centre starts accountability process of ministries, provinces ISLAMABAD TLTP

Prime Minister’s Performance Delivery Unit has commenced the accountability process of all ministries, divisions and provinces by compiling reports on basis of the number of public complaints resolved by the concerned authorities.

The PM’s performance delivery unit has compiled reports regarding 25 ministries and two provinces so far, whereas the scrutiny of more two

provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) has also been started. The unit will unveil the performance reports on October 28.

Furthermore, the concerned unit initiated preparation of a performance report of 10 ministries including privatisation, national health and poverty alleviation, law and justice, science and technology, narcotics control, Kashmir affairs, maritime affairs, climate change.

The performance report of two provinces including Sindh and

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Balochistan, as well as six federal ministries will be compiled in the next month. Records have been sought from the focal persons on joint secretary-level which would be compared with the statistics of the PM’s performance delivery unit.

During the ongoing accountability process, the federal government will scrutinise the response rate of secretaries and subordinate officials of the concerned ministries.

The performance of police inspector generals (IGs) of all provinces, chief secretaries and their subordinate institutions will also be sized up. On the basis of the reports, the concerned ministries, divisions and provinces will be given appreciated by the unit or served show-cause notices over poor performance.

MIRANSHAH: A soldier of Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom during an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion near a check post of the security forces on Road Boya, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday. According to the ISPR, Sepoy Sajid, 33, embraced martyrdom in the terror incident. Security forces cordoned the area for clearance operation after the incident. Earlier on September 7, security forces killed five terrorists including a highprofile terrorist Wasim Zakaria, and arrested 10 others, according to the ISPR. Security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Mir Ali where five militants, including Zakaria, were gunned down and 10 were arrested, confirmed the ISPR. Commander Wasim Zakaria hailed from the Haider Khel area and had been a mastermind of 30 terrorist attacks since September 2019. "Terrorist Wasim was involved in target killing activities and the martyrdom of CSS officer Zubaidullah Dawar," said the ISPR in a statement, adding that the militant was also directly involved in attacks on security forces. He had also attacked an army convoy at Hasu Khel. TLTP

ex-PM’s son stopped from going abroad at airport The immigration staff at Islamabad International Airport Saturday stopped Abdullah Khaqan Abbasi, son of former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, from leaving the country. Abdullah Khaqan Abbasi was going to depart for Dubai through a foreign airline’s flight, EK613. The FIA immigration officials offloaded Abdullah due to the presence of his name on the stop list of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). It is noteworthy to mention that the Sindh High Court (SHC) had extended the bail of former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in a case related to the illegal appointment in Pakistan State Oil (PSO). The court had also directed to place names of Abbasi and other accused on the Exit Control List (ECL). The former prime minister is also among other accused who are facing charges of corruption over awarding LNG import contracts allegedly at exorbitant rates in 2015, which caused a big loss to the national exchequer. The NAB investigators had claimed that Abbasi, in 2013, had awarded a LNG import and distribution contract to the Elengy Terminal in violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules and relevant laws. NEWS DESK

NaB allowed to shelve graft inquiry against ahad Cheema LAHORE: An accountability court on Saturday allowed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to shelve an inquiry against former director general of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Ahad Cheema pertaining to financial wrongdoings in LDA-City.

Admin Judge Jawadul Hassan approved the national graft buster’s plea seeking to close the case against Cheema and nine other accused. The decision to close the inquiry was made by the director general of the NAB Lahore during a meeting of the bureau’s regional board. According to the corruption watchdog, the LDA City has provided plots to the affectees of the housing project. Cheema is also named in the Ashiana Housing Scheme and assets beyond means cases. He was arrested on February 21, 2018 over charges of misusing his authority by awarding Ashiana Housing contract worth Rs14 billion to Lahore Casa Developers, that was ineligible for the contract. According to the antigraft watchdog, Cheema possesses assets worth Rs600 million and had failed to satisfy the accountability bureau regarding his sources of income. STAFF REPORT

‘Nai Zindagi’ Programme: Punjab govt allocates Rs200m to rehabilitate acid attack victims LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Saturday announced the allocation of Rs200 million for the ‘Nai Zindagi’ programme, meant for the rehabilitation of women that are acid attack victims.

Chief Minister Buzdar said that the state would fulfill its responsibilities towards its citizens during an address to an event of the Nai Zindagi initiative for medical and psychological rehabilitation of acid attack victims under the Ehsaas programme. The chief minister said that the Punjab government has initially allocated

Rs200 million and the program will be expanded to other districts.

“The Punjab Ehsaas Programme is the first step towards materializing the dream of Riyasat-e-Medina,” he said at the event.

“Caring behaviour is the basis of humanity, and humanity makes us realize the need of establishing a welfare state like Riyasat-e-Medina, where people can get access to all facilities without any discrimination, besides providing relief to the poor, oppressed segment and deserving class of the society.”

He stated that the feelings of the disenfranchised and underprivileged segment of the society were being hurt and their genuine

demands were also being ignored in the past.

Time has come to give equal rights and to fulfill the needs of the deprived classes of the society. People deprived of social protection are the responsibility of the welfare state, Usman Buzdar mentioned.

He said that more steps are being taken for the development of human resources and a waste management programme is also initiated in nine districts. The government has prioritised the uplift of the unprivileged segment of society and more than 75,000 persons will be groomed for employment.

The chief minister said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is efficiently working for improving the

health and education sectors. Under the Nai Zindagi programme, the victims of acid attacks will be provided medical facilities and interest-free loans. Punjab Social Protection Authority under Punjab Ehsaas Programme has launched “Nai Zindagi” and “Punjab Human Capital Investment Project” at a cost of Rs53.25 billion.

Provincial Ministers Raja Basharat, Murad Ras and Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chauhan, MPAs Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, Asia Amjad, Abdullah Warraich and Muhammad Shafi, chief secretary, chairman P&D, principal secretary to CM and concerned officers were present on this occasion.

Sunday, 13 September, 2020

04

NEWS

Forest dept completes Jallo Safari Park renovation project LAHORE SHAHAB OMER

The development work of Jallo Forest Park was completed by the Punjab Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries Department on Saturday.

An official of the Forest department informed this scribe that the project was initiated in July 2016 and its first PC-1 was approved at a cost of Rs302.896 million. However, it was revised four times and ended up costing Rs280.838 million.

“Jallo Forest Park is situated 20km east of Lahore along Wagha-Amritsar Railway Line and ½ km from Lahore Canal Branch on its left side. These area 837 acres was a reserve forest since 1922 and was being managed for production of timber/fuel wood and for conducting forestry research.

Out of 837 acres, the Park was established over 456 acres under various development schemes since 1978,” the official said.

Explaining about the total area of forests in Punjab he said, “Punjab is starched with an area of 50.96 million acres and meagre forestry resources over only 1.66 million acres in the public sector. The resources managed by the Forest Department include compact plantations of coniferous forests (144,120 acres), scrub forests (676,336 acres), rangelands (203,321 acres), irrigated plantations (424,776 acres), riverain forests (175,702 acres) and deserts (38,238 acres). More-

over, we also manage the linear plantations of the province i.e. canal-side plantations (33,795.37 km), roadside plantations (10,665.15 km) and rail side plantations (2,580.50 km). In addition to the public sector forestry resources, tree covers exist in farmlands both in the form of woodlots and linear avenues along the field boundaries and watercourses”.

The official further informed that the project was proposed to conserve natural resources and provide recreational facilities to the public by renovating the existing facilities in the park to introduce new interventions and enhance biodiversity.

The official also said that the project had more than 85 tasks including the development of new grass on an area of 35 acres, mass afforestation on 50 acres, landscaping, planting including rockeries, development of new flowering beds, rehabilitation of existing forest lawn, boundary brick wall with razor-sharp loop wire, the establishment of sheds for B.B.Q, construction of a ticketing office and others.

“The gestation period of the project was 48 months but it was completed before time i.e. December 31, 2019. Jallo Park has all kinds of facilities now and will attract the public in large numbers.

Parks, zoos and safaris provide a diversity of outdoor recreation opportunities to the general public, connecting them with nature in an unmatched variety of themes and activities,” he concluded.

Educational institutes in Sindh to be reopened as per schedule: minister KARACHI APP

Sindh Education and Labour Minister Saeed Ghani said on Saturday that all public and private educational institutions would be reopened as per the schedule. He expressed these views while presiding over a meeting of various associ-

ations of private educational institutions which was also attended by Sindh Education Secretary Ahmed Bakhsh Narejo, Director Private Schools Mansoob Ahmed Siddiqui, Educationist Shahnaz Wazir Ali and others. The minister said the government and administration were making full preparations in this re-

gard, adding that there is a heavy responsibility on private educational institutions, as they are required to ensure full implementation on the SOPs. He urged the parents to ensure implementation of SOPs regarding children arriving in the school van and try to pick and drop children themselves if possible.

Private educational institutions that have not been able to renew their registration due to corona will be automatically renewed for the next academic year, but they will have to comply with the rules and paperwork in this regard.

Saeed Ghani said that a national policy has been formulated for opening educational institutions and after all consultations.

CM Murad seeks help from int’l community on Sindh flooding KARACHI

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STAFF REPORT

T least 136 people have died, over 2.3 million have lost their homes, and 45961 cattle have perished in the recent urban flooding in Sindh, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah told foreign diplomats on Saturday, in a bid to gain support from foreign countries.

Appraising the diplomats about the damage caused by the debilitating floods that had struck the province earlier in the month, with the provincial capital Karachi a historic mess, Murad Ali Shah said that at least 20 areas had been declared calamity hit zones because of the severity of the problem.

The meeting between the Chief Minister and the diplomats took place at the CM house in Karachi, and was attended by diplomats from the USA, Canada, China, Japan, the UAE, of France, the United Kingdom, and others. Members of the provincial government attending the meeting included Education Minister Saeed Ghani, Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, and Additional Secretary to CM Fayaz Jatoi.

The chief minister also gave a presentation in which he revealed that the rainfall in August 2020 had resulted in massive flooding in at least nine districts. “Mirpurkhas is flooded by 27.28 percent, Badin 13.2 percent, Umerkot 12.25 percent, TandoAllahyar 5.93 percent, Sanghar 5.79 percent, Tando Mohammad Khan 1.65 percent, Hyderabad 0.14 percent, Matiari 0.64 percent and Tharparkar .31 percent,” he said.

The 20 divisions that have been designated crisis hit as a result include Karachi Divisions, South, West, East, Central, Korangi and Malir. Hyderabad divisions Hyderabad,

Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Jamshoro, T.M Khan, TandoAllahyar, Matiari and Dadu. Mirpurkhas Divisions Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Tharparkar. Shaheed Benazirabad Division Shaheed Benazirabad and Sanghar.

Other than the 136 people that have died in the flooding, 64 are in Karachi, while 86 have been significantly injured. At least 1094150 acres of standing crops have been completely damaged, 77,343 houses have been damaged completely, 137,178 houses have been damaged partially. “We have set up 196 relief camps where 54,778 tents have been set up. 23,629 persons have been shifted in tents, 73,081 ration bags, 102,200 mosquito nets, 2,680 Jerry cans, 5,000 water bottles, 930 water filters, and 3,780 tarpaulin sheets have been distributed,” the CM said.

However, the Chief Minister said that the number of supplies and the shelter the provincial government had been able to provide was far below the need, with demand for tents more than 120,000 and the government unable to provide even half of that. Meanwhile, against a demand of 279,000 ration bags, only 24150 have been provided. Some 79,000 mosquito nets are required but the government has supplied only 43,500.

“In this way there was a wide gap between demand and supply of relief goods,” Murad Ali Shah said, adding that the government wanted to bridge this gap, but international agencies would have to play their role in supporting the provincial government to rehabilitate the affected people and help rebuild the damaged infrastructure.

The diplomats expressed surprise at the extent of the damage, saying they were totally unaware of the situation. They pointed out nobody has apprised them about such a vast destruction caused by the heavy downpours.

They assured the chief minister that they would use their offices to support the provincial government’s cause of the international community and its relevant orgaisations coming to the aid of the people of Sindh.

MEETING WITH UNICEF WFP: On the same day, the Chief Minister also had a meeting with the UNICEF World Food Programme (WFP). The UNICEF delegation was led by Ms Cristina, who told the chief minister that a UNICEF team would personally visit the affected areas to provide food and supplys. They also said that they would launch anti-polio drives in the rain affected areas of Karachi and other districts of the province.

The chief minister said that he would direct all the concerned deputy commissioners to provide data to the UNICEF and WFP representatives, so that proper support could be planned and extended by them.

COVID-19 SITUATION: The chief minister also shared details of the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country in a media briefing, informing them that three more patients had lost their lives overnight, taking the death toll up to 2443. 205 more cases were recorded in the province, out of the 13,797 tests that were conducted. The CM said that the detection rate was currently 1 per cent on Saturday, which is lower than the overall rate of 11 per cent. A total of 1,120,255 tests have been conducted in Sindh, out of which 131,880 cases have been positive. The recovery rate has been 93 per cent, with 127,418 patients recovering, including 557 overnight.

Currently, 2019 patients are under treatment, of them 1737 are in home isolation, six at isolation centers, and 276 at different hospitals. The condition of 144 patients is stated to be critical, including 17 shifted on ventilators.

Floods destroy fish farms in Swat district PESHAWAR AZIZ BUNERI

Floods in different districts of Malakand Division have swept away more than 25 established fish units, causing huge losses to farm owners as more than 10,000kg fish has been destroyed.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government had allocated Rs380 million in the current financial development programme to build fish hatcheries in

Malakand and Hazara divisions to increase trout fish production but due to a lack of funds, work on the project couldn’t be started.

During the floods in Swat, more than 25 trout fish hatcheries were affected. The farm owners complained that millions of rupees worth fish and infrastructure have been washed away along with months of hard work.

Hundreds of labourers working in these hatcheries also lost their jobs

due to the floods. According to locals, floodwaters in the trout ponds have endangered their lives, prompting fish owners to evacuate it and bring to the markets and sell it at much cheaper prices.

The KP government has built dozens of hatcheries at a cost of billions of rupees in the last two years in various areas including Hazara and Malakand divisions to increase trout fish production which had significantly increased

production in the province. According to the Fisheries Department in Swat, the district is leading in the trout fish production in the province with a production of five to six tonnes.

However, the sector was badly damaged first due to terrorism and the by floods which have almost wiped out farms from the district. Now, they have been restored with the help of the government and various NGOs. According to farm

owners, 22 to 25 species of fish are found in Swat, however, trout is a favourite food of tourists visiting Swat.

According to the Swat Hotel Association, Swat tourism, as well as locally produced products including warm shawls, hats, fruits and trout fish, have been badly affected by terrorism for many years. It was also hit by 2010 floods and the had hardly recovered when the current natural flood calamity struck the businesses. Trout fish sales are high in hotels in Swat.

4 die, 7 injured in Karachi as building catches fire KARACHI: Four people were killed and seven others got injured when a three-storey residential building caught fire here on Saturday. The incident happened at the first floor of the building in a densely populated area of the city due to a short circuit, Salman Qureshi, a rescue worker with a Karachi-based non-governmental organization Saylani Welfare Trust said. He said that the fire erupted in the early hours of Saturday morning, but rescue work got a bit delayed because congested roads hindered fire fighters from shifting their engines and machinery to the affected area in a quick manner.

Four families were residing in the building and the deceased belonged to the same family living on the first floor which was the worst-hit, he said, adding that residents of the other floors were safely evacuated by the rescue workers who also doused the fire. The injured people were shifted to a nearby hospital where one of them who jumped from the third floor in panic when the fire erupted is in critical condition, the rescue worker said. TLTP

Sunday, 13 September, 2020

GOvt iRkEd OvER lACk Of AviAtiOn divisiOn's invOlvEMEnt in ROOsEvElt HOtEl MAttERs ISLAMABAD

t

MIAN ABRAR

HE federal cabinet has expressed displeasure over a proposal to shut down operations of the Hotel Roosevelt permanently without consulting the aviation division. A source told Pakistan Today that the cabinet in its meeting held on Tuesday came down hard over the top decision-makers for ignoring the aviation division in deciding the fate of Hotel Roosevelt and directed all the stakeholders that the aviation division be made a part of the decision-making process.

The federal cabinets has directed the stakeholders that aviation division be taken onboard in the decisionmaking and has asked them to submit a formal summary on the recommendations of the Committee for consideration of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC).

The Cabinet also considered the proposals tabled by a committee headed by Deputy Chairman, Planning

lion for creditors, and US$ 2.00 million for closing cost – total amounting to US$ 142.00 million.

The committee also proposed carrying costs of approximately US$ \13.00 million to be funded until such time GOP finalizes lease/JV of Roosevelt’s site.

During the ensuing discussion, the additional secretary of the cabinet division pointed out that the above case should be submitted by the aviation division being the administrative division of PIAIL, in the form of a summary in light of rule 18(1) read with rule 23(4) of the Rules of Business, 1973.

The ECC deliberated on the recommendations of the committee and observed that the aviation division was not consulted in the matter. The ECC directed that all stakeholders including aviation division should be in involved in every discussion and negotiation related to Roosevelt Hotel, New York.

The forum further directed that issue should be handled in a fair and transparent manner and the best national interest.

Commission and including Secretary, Finance Division, Secretary, Aviation Division and Secretary, Law & Justice Division to deliberate on the financial and legal implications of the issue in a holistic manner.

The committee proposed that the Roosevelt’s operations be shut down permanently, and negotiations with union be commenced and a sum of US$5million be approved to cater for expenses at Roosevelt till year-end and disbursed by end of September 2020.

The proposal said that the current cash balance of Pakistan International Airlines Investments Limited (PIAIL) is only US$3 million. The Committee directed the PIAIL to give notice prior to September 9, 2020 payment date to lender for prepayment of US$105 million on October 9, 2020, with exit fee of US$525000 as per legal opinion. Cash funds will be made available at least five working days prior to October 9, 2020.

The committee also proposed a sum of US$13.7 million for settlement of severance of union and employees, US$18 million for pension fund, US$3.4 mil-

Kabul for ceasefire as peace talks with Taliban begin ContInueD on pAge 01 Pompeo indicated the talks are expected to be contentious, but said the outcome would be entirely up to Afghans, not the US. “Each of you carry a great responsibility,” he told the participants. “You have an opportunity to overcome your divisions."

He encouraged the negotiators to respect Afghanistan’s rich diversity, including women and ethnic and religious minorities. He said that while the choice of Afghanistan’s political system was up to the Afghan parties, the US had found that democracy and rotation of political power worked best.

“I can only urge these actions. You will write the next chapter of Afghan history,” he said.

Baradar, who co-founded the hardline religious group that seized Kabul in 1996 and ruled Afghanistan until the 2001 US-led invasion, said the Taliban looked forward to a peaceful stable state with an Islamic system. "I want all to consider Islam in their negotiations and agreements and not to sacrifice Islam to personal interests," said Baradar.

The US-backed negotiations are beginning six months later than planned owing to bitter disagreements over a controversial prisoner swap that was part of

the deal signed in February.

The talks come a day after the 19th anniversary of the September 11 attacks which prompted the US to invade Afghanistan and topple the Taliban regime that had been sheltering Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. President Donald Trump, up for re-election in November, has pushed hard to end the United States' longest war and wants all foreign forces to leave Afghanistan by next year.

But a comprehensive peace deal could take years, and will depend on the willingness of both sides to tailor their competing visions for the country.

While the Taliban, who have refused

to recognise President Ashraf Ghani's government, will push to reshape Afghanistan into an Islamic "emirate", the government will seek to maintain the Western-backed status quo of a constitutional republic that has enshrined many rights including greater freedoms for women.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation secretary general Yousef Al Othaimeen, top EU diplomat Josep Borrell and the foreign ministers of India, Pakistan, China and Germany, among others, were also scheduled to deliver remarks at the opening session via teleconference.

Heavy rain alert for Sindh issued KARACHI TLTP

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Sindh on Saturday issued a weather advisory predicting heavy rains across the province.

According to the PMDA, heavy downpours are expected in southeast Sindh in 24 hours. In a letter addressed to DCs and DDMOs, the PDMA said that a new spell of monsoon rains is likely

to hit parts of Sindh from tomorrow.

The PDMA has asked concerned authori-

Ex-PM’s son stopped from going abroad at airport ISLAMABAD TLTP

Son of former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Abdullah Khaqan Abbasi, was stopped by immigration staff at Islamabad International Airport from leaving the country on Saturday. Abdullah Khaqan Abbasi was going to depart for Dubai through a foreign airline’s flight, EK-613. The FIA immigration officials offloaded Abdullah due to the presence of his name on the stop list of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). It is noteworthy to mention here that the Sindh High Court (SHC) had extended the bail of former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in a case related to the illegal appointment in Pakistan State Oil (PSO).

The court had also directed to place names of Abbasi and other accused on the Exit Control List (ECL). The former prime minister is also among other accused who are facing charges of corruption over awarding LNG import contracts allegedly at exorbitant rates in 2015, which caused a big loss to the national exchequer. The NAB investigators had claimed that Abbasi, in 2013, had awarded a LNG import and distribution contract to the Elengy Terminal in violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules and relevant laws.

CMYK

ties to take precautionary measures to avoid loss of lives during rains predicted in the province.

NEWS

05

Manhunt launched after suspects of motorway gang-rape identified ContInueD on pAge 01 "Unfortunately, because this information had gone into the public domain, the suspects had definitely received the tip-off that police was near them ... When we went to [Ali's] house, located between agricultural fields, in civilian cars and clothes, he along with his wife fled into the fields." Police were able to locate Ali's house and also found his daughter there, Ghani told the presser, adding that his nikahnama and other documents were also recovered. He said Ali's accomplice, identified as Waqarul Hassan, had also fled when police raided his house. "We have the entire record of both the suspects [and] police, CTD, CIA and Special Branch teams are after them," the IGP said, adding that police were also using scientific aid available with intelligence agencies. "I hope we will be able to reach them (suspects) very soon," he said, urging the public to help in the manhunt by informing police about their presence on 15 helpline. Answering a question, IGP Ghani acknowledged that the victim could not get "timely assistance" because the Motorway Police did not have its presence on the route where the incident occurred. He said the woman had called the Motorway Police helpline but she was redirected to FWO's number. "Ultimately, Dolphin Force reached the scene after a passerby ringed 15," he added.

PMRC, BOP enters into Mortgage Refinance Agreement neWS DeSK Pakistan Mortgage Refinance Company (PMRC) and The Bank of Punjab (BOP) have join hands to provide and promote affordable mortgage finance in the country. “We feel proud to have successfully closed our maiden deal with The Bank of Punjab. This landmark transaction makes BOP is the first Government Bank in Pakistan to enter in mortgage refinance arrangement,” said a statement issued by PMRC. With this venture, PMRC has created a far-reaching footprint and has now become the first financial institution in Pakistan to register security/collateral of a body corporate using Secured Transaction Registry. This endeavor is an effort by both the institutions to materialize and contribute to Prime Minister’s mission of providing affordable housing to citizens. The transaction will allow The Bank of Punjab to provide affordable housing finance to low and middle income citizens and government employees. Mudassir H. Khan, CEO of PMRC, stated, "It is indeed a proud moment for both the institutions, as we recognize the importance of mutual coordination between the financial institutions and achieving a milestone transaction which would help to achieve government vision of providing accessible housing finance.” Zafar Masud, President of BOP, while emphasizing on the role of PMRC, said, “we are witnessing a momentum shift, as this is the first mortgage refinance transaction where a Government bank is now a Partner Financial Institution with PMRC and will be engaged in promoting affordable housing finance business.”

Sunday, 13 September, 2020

06 COMMENT

Jungle law in Punjab

With a politicized police force in place Law and order is bound to be a casualty

And insensitivities of the rulers

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hERE was horror and outrage all over Pakistan as a mother was gangraped in front of her children on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway. Only days earlier the Punjab IGP, whose performance had been praised by the Prime Ministr himself was forced to leave his post when he refused to accept the newly appointed Lahore police chief. The IGP’s reservations were by no means unfounded as an Intelligence Bureau (IB) report had described the new CCPO as being corrupt, both morally and financially, and concluded that he could misuse power if bribed. That both the federal and provincial governments decided to appoint him the police chief of the second largest city in the country despite full knowledge of his sordid background indicates they had had reasons that they are not willing to divulge.

Lahore, like the rest of Punjab province, has remained the stronghold of the PML(N). The local government elections are going to be held in months to come. The PTI government wants favourable results by hook or by crook.

The opposition thinks that since honest officers are reluctant to carry out illegal orders they are being sidelined one after another. This explains the all too frequent transfers of IGPs, Chief Secretaries, provincial secretaries, commissioners and deputy commissioners. The government wants pliable officers who carry out whatever directions are given to them without questioning their legality.

With politically motivated appointments in Punjab, the province will have to pay a heavy price in the form of a deteriorating law and order situation as shown by the heart-rending incident on early Wednesday.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr Justice Gulzar ahmad, has rightly pointed out that when policing is in the hands of unprofessional and inept persons it is bound to lead to a serious erosion of the law and order situation. Further, when policing is politicised, the life and property of the people are not safe. Recent developments in the Punjab Police, he said, were a sign of the politicizing of the policing system. according to the CJP no amount of interference whatsoever should be made either by the government or by any political person in the police force. The PTI government would do well to heed the timely warning.

aRif Nizami

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hE misogynistic and heartless remarks made by the freshly appointed CCPO (Lahore Capital City police Officer) Umer Sheikh about a gangrape on his watch, on the outskirts of Lahore late Wednesday evening, has justifiably created an outrage. as per the norm in the Islamic republic, rape victims themselves are blamed and shamed for their misfortune for basically, being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

For example, in this case, the lady in question according to the CCPO chose to travel by the section of the Lahore-Sialkot motorway opened a few months back. The family consisting of the lady and her two minor daughters departed Lahore for Gujranwala a little after midnight.

The CCPO has questioned the wisdom of the lady to travel at such a late hour without any male escort. Furthermore, adding to her misfortune, her car ran out of fuel in the middle of the motorway. Virtually stranded, she called the motorway police for help. But to no avail.

The CCPO went on to say that because the lady lives in France, she naively assumed that a fully functional motorway with appended facilities was as safe during the night was as in broad day light.

Unfortunately the section of the motorway in question was neither policed nor had other facilities that are usually taken for granted in the West.

Covid-19 resurging globally

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haT Pakistan has been counted in a World Economic Forum list of countries to learn from to tackle the coronavirus pandemic is a welcome recognition by an international credible institution, but at the same time such accolades should not become a source of so much unchecked excess jubilation that one simply forgets how a second wave of the deadly virus is an eventuality. Neighbouring India’s first Covid-19 wave is still going strong clocking the highest number of new cases in the world, around 90,000 a day, and with respect to cases per million of population (a more reasonable statistic to compare) is 2.3 times that of Pakistan. Deaths per million of population are also twice that of Pakistan.

Clearly Pakistan, despite responding quite poorly to the virus when it first entered the country and started spreading, has come out of this pandemic relatively unscathed─ some projections in June were suggesting a death toll in the millions. Prime Minister Imran Khan took a risk by not placing a harsh lockdown immediately, instead opting for a very lax one which, it is suggested by some experts, inadvertently stopped the virus from spreading to villages as daily wage labourers were still able to find work in the cities, while a median age of 22 also helped keep the recovery rate up.

But there is still no Covid-19 vaccine available and one is at least six months away, if not more. With winter around the corner and countries like the UK and other European countries already experiencing spikes after weeks of calm, Pakistan must capitalize on its current position. That is not to suggest a lockdown is placed when the temperature drops come October; hopefully it need not come to that. But what can be done now is stricter implementation of SOPs that are being blatantly violated since the country was fully opened a little more than a month ago. Equipping hospitals with PPEs now rather than scrambling for them later, if patients again start filling ICUs and wards would also be a good idea. Time is again on our side, just as it was when the virus had started travelling from Wuhan towards our shores. That opportunity was fantastically wasted and it would be a shame if that were to happen again and lives are unnecessarily lost.

Large populations do not allow prosperity

Rabia ahmed

A

huge population is a threat to its components both individually and collectively, particularly if the size precedes prosperity; a poor country cannot feed or educate a large population, or provide any of the other conditions necessary for prosperity, because the needs of a large population are greater than its lucrative output.

Rather like a city that floods after a downpour where you must first unclog the drains to enable the streets to dry, you must clear the way for a large population to sustain itself before it can become prosperous. and without prosperity there is corruption, crime and all the other factors that we see around us in Pakistan.

Pakistan has one of the fasting growing populations in the world– although it is outstripped by afghanistan and some other countries. Pakistan’s population is estimated at 220.9 million according to the 2020 World Population Data Sheet released by the US Population Reference Bureau, and it is ‘growing rapidly, with an annual fertility rate of 3.6 children per couple.’ according to the same report, Pakistan has a growth rate of 3.6 percent. It points out that a population of this size doubles itself every 19 years.

Reducing the growth rate is not impossible. Other countries with larger populations have managed to reduce the growth rate, India being one of these with a growth rate of 2.2 percent while Bangladesh stands at 2.3 percent after both countries made efforts to bring it down.

China with its massive population, has brought its growth rate down to 1.5 percent, but given the way it achieved this, it is perhaps not the best example.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

Arif Nizami is Editor, Pakistan Today. He can be contacted at arifn51@hotmail.com http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk

Another day another 16,000 mouths to feed

Pakistan is not immune

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

But these were unforced errors and not of her own making. She did nothing wrong on the night in question and for the CCPO to even suggest this, shows that he has no business being in such a senior position at the police force.

The question that begs an answer here is: why was the motorway opened without proper facilities and infrastructure. Was there any warning or notice that the newly opened Sialkot section was without policing and a functional infrastructure? adding insult to injury, the CCPO Umer Sheikh who was appointed just a few days back purely on political grounds doubled down on his earlier assertions and questioned the lady’s choice of the motorway instead of taking the more crowded GT road. he is implying that the hapless lady has only herself to blame for what befell her on that night of horror. Many members of Khan’s cabinet have implicitly questioned their boss’s wisdom in choosing the wrong person for the job for the umpteenth time.

Lahore’s fifth IGP (inspector general police) Shoaib Dastagir was made to resign only last week just because of insisting upon merit-based policies. he strongly objected to the appointment of Umer Sheikh, a controversial officer.

Sheikh’s service record is nothing to write home about. That is why he was relegated to ‘category C’.

Perhaps the controversial CCPO blamed his erstwhile boss for his misfortunes in service. he reportedly used unprintable language against his immediate superior Shoaib Dastagir.

Sheikh represents the worst in our police culture.

Perhaps precisely owing to this inane quality, he was chosen. Understandably, police morale is at an alltime low as a result of this development.

The police officers’ own association had condemned his appointment.

Despite changing five IGs, ‘Riyasat-e-Medina’s’ CEO has failed to select a dream team of his choice.

It is becoming clearer by the day that Khan wants that the chief cop of the province and his team should do the bidding of the boss-no questions asked. any police boss found lacking is immediately branded as a Sharif lackey since the PML-N ruled the roost in Punjab for more than a decade. Shehbaz Sharif ruled Punjab as chief minister thrice between 1997 and 2018. Before him the elder Sharif ruled Punjab before becoming the prime minister.

Critics contend that despite claiming that the PTI

government operates purely on merit-based policies, ground realities suggest diametrically the opposite.

Sharifs and the Chadhrys before them created a police force purely based on personal loyalty and political exigencies. Members of the National and provincial assemblies belonging to the ruling party got their favourites appointees in their respective constituencies.

Khan, after tinkering with so many IGPs and CCPOs, has come to the same conclusion as his predecessors. Things have come full circle with the appointment of the new police hierarchy in the province.

It is not surprising that heinous crimes- especially those that grab headlines- are shockingly on the rise.

Number of misogynistic offences including rape and child molesting are rising by the day. In this milieu a manifest increase in dacoities and thefts are hardly noticed. according to human rights monitoring bodies, the actual number of crimes against women in Punjab is even higher as such beastly crimes are widely underreported owing to social stigma attached with them.

While the PTI government has its eyes set on the upcoming local bodies elections it is more worried about victimizing its political opponents rather than taking the right steps to fix the deteriorating law and order situation in the province.

In its desperation it has thrown its electoral commitments to the wind in order to rehyphenate the unholy nexus between criminals and the politicians.

Vitriolic narrative of the PTI stalwarts against the opposition has worsened matters.

Despite the furore he has refused to retract his odious remarks about the rape victim. Obviously, he has strong backing of his bosses.

The minister of human rights Shireen Marzari who is virulently vocal about such matters directly concerning her ministry has surprisingly given a muted response.

Unsurprisingly the minister for planning asad Umar contends that the erring CCPO’s remarks do not constitute criminal conduct. While the accountability minister Shahzad akbar as per his wont has also defended Umer Sheikh.

Probably Sheikh’s appointment had the blessings of the accountability czar. The hatchet jobs expected from him as a prelude to the upcoming local bodies elections are not possible without full backing of his political masters.

Nonetheless, the controversial CCPO should be shown the door not only for his crude and insensitive remarks but because of sheer incompetence as well.

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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In 1980 when the Chinese population was nearing the one billion mark the government announced its ‘one child policy’ which meant that it became against the law (except in certain cases such as where the first child was differently abled) to have more than one child per couple. Those violating the policy were sanctioned in various ways. To encourage compliance the government offered free contraception, as well as financial incentives, even preference in employment, for complying individuals. at times stronger measures were taken, such as forced sterilization and abortions.

There was obviously a decline in the population rate as a result. In 2015 China announced that it was allowing families to have two children.

For obvious reasons such forcible measures are undesirable, and in any case they cannot be implemented in Pakistan where contraception faces a backlash. however some measures can be taken on board such as the free contraception and the financial incentives.

Pakistan has a family welfare programme with clinics throughout the country. attempts are made to include less accessible regions by means of mobile vans. There are health workers who reach out to the public. The clinics include mother and child wellness programmes including childhood immunization and health checks, educational talks and assistance with contraception. But a survey reported that many women preferred attending private clinics where possible because private clinics were better equipped with seating and so on, and they the women were treated with more dignity there. according to Dr ansar ali Khan, an advisor on the subject of reproductive health to the United Nations Population Fund Programme in Pakistan, “a combination of factors like non availability of services, baseless traditional beliefs and misconception play a big role” in this country. he is not wrong. In the Punjab for example local culture frowns upon parents living with their daughters even when they attain old age.

Dr. ali Khan adds that a sizeable part of the population “believes the use of artificial contraceptives for family planning is against nature and also against Islam.”

It is yet another example of a poor understanding of religion standing in the way of progress in this country. Pakistan needs to not just educate its people on such (and other matters) but also the mullahs, and to woo the latter onto their side as afghanistan has apparently managed to do. The american National Broadcasting Company NBC reported a few years ago that in afghanistan several mullahs endorsed contraceptives as a means of increasing the gap between

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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births. Some even delivered the message during Friday prayers. The mullahs’ major concerns centered on safety and infertility. The report quoted the programme director of a British based family planning organisation in Kabul who said that thousands of religious leaders in afghanistan had been trained on the subject.

The american National Public Radio quotes a cleric belonging to one of Lahore’s oldest religious seminaries as saying that ‘family planning is wrong and un-Islamic if practiced routinely.’ In support of his statement the cleric cited one of the most misunderstood passages in the Quran which enjoins us not to kill a child for reasons of poverty, because allah takes it upon himself to provide sustenance. This injunction is commonly construed as saying that humans can go ahead and reproduce all they want because God provides, regardless.

The fact that God has also asked us to give our children a good, comfortable upbringing is in that case threatened, since almost 40 percent of the children in Pakistan under the age of five are underweight, and mother and child are both undernourished. None of the family is educated and nor does the poor man of Pakistan live in safe housing and neighbourhoods. and most of Pakistan consists of ‘the poor man.’

One of the reasons for the high birthrate in Pakistan is that infant mortality is so great here at 57.2 per 1000 live births. Couples therefore produce many children against the eventuality that only one or two will survive. In the process they often end up with more mouths than they can feed. The fact is that in the absence of pensions for much of the population, who is to look after an aged couple if not their child?

They also keep producing children until they have a son, given that sons are more important in this culture than daughters. a doctor working for the family welfare programme in Pakistan suggests the importance of incentives given to parents to keep the birthrate down. a pension, as mentioned above is a good idea, something to keep an elderly couple off the street. It is also a good idea to provide free contraception and consultation to patients.

The doctor also suggests that family welfare programme workers should be given better incentives─ salaries, pensions and perks at a level with other government officials, along with better training.

There is little time to spend on pondering this issue. Every day brings with it an average of 16,918 live births, every hour 704.90. Each day lost increases the problem by as much as that.

God did say our destiny lies with him. But he also gave us free will and a brain. Why not use the brain and the will and plan accordingly?

Rabia Ahmed is a freelance columnist. Read more by her at http://rabia-ahmed.blogspot.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Sunday, 13 September, 2020

COMMENT 07 Editor’s mail Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan.

E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively

Afghan talks

Human sufferance and belittlement Discrimination ingrained deeply in the psyche of the ruling elite

Candid Corner Raoof hasaN “Just take any step, whether small or large, and then another, and repeat day after day. It may take months, may be years, but the path to success will become clear.”

—Aaron Ross

S

OCIETIES are in eternal transition, as they should be. But, usually, they move along progressive trajectories setting new challenges to brace, generating new ideas to ponder, carving new vistas to conquer, and piling up new achievements as testaments to their effort. Our society is also in transition, but not quite in the desirable direction.

If I may venture to say that it is headed the wrong way, I may not be far off the mark.

Of the many characteristics by which this society can be recognised, its abhorrent capacity for acceptance of corruption and tolerance for crime stretch the limits of one’s faith to the fullest.

Leaving aside the vile beneficiary segments who have stuffed themselves fat on what they skinned off the state, it is the ordinary people who seem little concerned by this twin scourge. They even come up with their own rationale why they feel it is not the worst of things to have happened and count numerous deprivations which directly impact their lives, and which they believe need to be urgently redressed.

They can be right, but they are not because they are unable to see the direct link between their deprivations and the gruesome extent to which the country has been ravaged of its resources which were meant to be invested in their welfare. Of course, there is a morbid mindset that controls it all. If that is not geared to investing in the poor people of the country as a matter of preference by ensuring all requisites for them in the domains of quality education and health facilities, provisioning job opportunities and empowerment to facilitate their progress, they would never be able to secure their legitimate place in the society so as to be contented with their own life, and confident about the future of their coming generations.

One approach could be that people who have been fed on lies and false promises through generations and who, in spite of repeated setbacks and heartbreaks, still want to go the same old way, should generate little sympathy. But, looking at it from a different perspective, the de-

prived communities comprise people who are portunities and those who have none of this and extremely vulnerable on various counts along are forever condemned to live in subjugation.

This disdainful and deeply-embedded attisocial, economic, religious and cultural divisions, and they hardly have the power to resist tude to not only maintain the wicked instruments the non-stop exploitative onslaught. Conse- of inequality under state protection, but to further quently, they fall easy prey to these predators perpetuate them through all possible means and that are always on the prowl trying to keep the methods available generates a high level of disconstituents captive within their stranglehold. affection and hatred among communities which That is how the society has been divided among are deprived of their inalienable rights on a par ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’, with the former calling with the rest of the people. The sinister thought the shots with regard to even the right to live of that they would continue to absorb the inequities just because they are weak is a dangerous hythe latter community of people.

This is the core evil where the chance of pothesis which has been proven wrong as can be birth becomes the benchmark for chiselling the seen inscribed on the pages of history. Yet we future of a bulk of people with few getting the continue to live with a fake and frivolous preopportunity to cross the sanctified barrier and sumption that we shall overwhelm any challenge move over into the realms of opportunity and to our innate superiority, and our status is more promise. In this effort, a large number of them ‘equal’ than others. This is ample material to stir serious turbulence to the are even deprived of peril of weakening of the their legitimate holdings state by virtue of losing as punishment for their its moral authority. defiance. The fact is that There are people who Multiple welfare the dividing lines have always been there may not be at the forefront schemes initiated by the incumbent government which have only beat this juncture. They need under the Ehsaas umcome sharper with the brella, setting up shelter passage of time. The into be found and inspired to homes and taking a numstruments of this divide ber of other initiatives to are ingrained deeply in take on this mammoth facilitate the growth of the psyche of the ruling the downtrodden comelite and they are unchallenge to turn the state munities must be apwilling to loosen their into a just and judicious plauded. however, what hold on what they bemore important is lieve is their hereditary arbiter of the destinies of all isthatfarchanges are brought right. Can a country surabout in the system vive, much less people who live within the whereby provision of progress, with this ambit of its jurisdiction and equal rights no longer remindset in place which mains a matter of opinmay aggravate further with every day that ensure that the chance of their ion of individuals, but ingrained deeply in its passes? birth does not become a spirit and writ. This Principally, it is the stigma for them to burn in the should become the bar state’s responsibility to whereby the success of ensure that every one fires of deprivations and the government is measborn within its geoured. This will not come graphical precincts is belittlements about by itself. a congiven an equal right to certed struggle will have all essential opportunito be launched under the ties for progress. But, benevolent guidance of this right of all being equal in the eyes of the state is only found people of substance and integrity. Finding them, penned down in the statute book. With time, incidentally, may prove to be the most difficult even that has dulled, losing meaning and rele- factor to initiate the effort.

That may well be, but it is not impossible as vance. That does not imply that it has been done away with, or will ever be. Breaking the chains there are people who may not be at the forefront of captivity comes naturally to people who suf- at this juncture. They need to be found and infer its brutalities and there is many an enthralling spired to take on this mammoth challenge to turn and elevating story capturing the heroic struggle the state into a just and judicious arbiter of the of people to secure what is denied to them by the destinies of all people who live within the ambit of its jurisdiction and ensure that the chance of state and its ruling elite.

Where does Pakistan stand in this game of their birth does not become a stigma for them to rights? This would be a stimulating question to burn in the fires of deprivations and belittlements.

They are among us. They must become of respond to, but it gets lost in the haze of treasonous contracts enacted and felonious writs prom- us. They need to be nurtured with compassion ulgated. These contracts and these writs are no and care to walk the distance to their dreams. means to eliminate what is structurally wrong They cannot be denied their right. with the system that rules the country. These are The writer is a political and security stratejust expedient means employed to tide over a difficult phase that may accrue because of some gist, and heads the Regional Peace Institute – unseen situation, only to degenerate to the way an Islamabad-based think tank. Email: Twitter: it has always been, preserving a clear distinction raoofhasan@hotmail.com. between those who have the power and the op- @RaoofHasan

IS the ice melting? Will Intra afghan talks pave the way to establish permanent peace ?are the concluding remarks premature at this stage?

Obviously, these are prematurely assuming that just initiating of these talks will return peace and stability permanently in afghanistan. The nexus of american elections and rising of insurgent groups in afghanistan with establishment of permanent peace is being totally ignored.apparently, the platform has been set at Doha, twenty one members from both sides ( afghan Government and afghan Taliban) are willing to start Intra afghan talks today for discussing the future perspectives of buffer state. assumptions should positively approach, however some reservations are always exist in line which can sabotage or freezing the entire process.In Currently moving smooth process, two factors cannot be ignored which may resist the whole process even after its initiating and completion of all framed agendas which are considered the most pivotal. One belongs to internal affairs of afghan while second relates to external factor.

Meanwhile the external factor is directly affected to afghan Internal issue. “ Rising of attacks in afghanistan is the evidence of Presence of non state actors “ in afghan soil is the existing threat and may directly halt the complete process if once gears on the track of prosperity and peace.Last month former taliban factions have been merged into a single factor which is not only a direct threat for afghanistan but also for Pakistan. The second factor is Presidential elections of USa which is scheduled on Nov 3 this years. Joe Biden and Donald trumps are the contestants. Recently, Donald Trump tweeted and criticised american top military commanders while blaming that they don’t feel happy in withdrawal of american troops from other countries. Both Trump and Biden are playing political cards to acquire sympathy in upcoming election. Democratic contestant for president Joe biden welcomes the presence of military troops on foreign lands and terming it the intrest of USa ,while on other hand, Republicans stalwart Donald Trump is against it apparently. What would be the future of afghan Intra talks if biden wins ? and what will happen if Trump is elected for second term? Donald Trump has been criticised by various people on his variable policy , terming a soft shift.

Mahtab ali Khan bahawalnagar

Environmental issues ENVIRONMENTaL issues of the country are increasing on daily basis and they look dangerous for Pakistan.Such as air pollution ,water pollution ,noise pollution, climate change, pesticide misuse, soil erosion and natural disaster. Right now the flood of Karachi brought lots of people under the cloud . The rain turned into massive rivers flowing on main roads. according to global Environment Performance Index (EPI) Pakistan is in the list of those countries which are already suffering from these.The climate change and global warming are the most alarming issues which brought millions of lives in risk. The main reasons of environmental issues are carbon emission, increasing populations and deforestation. These can be serious environmental problems. Government is requested to take a concrete step to tackle these menaces .

Zainab anwar turbat

Water scarcity aLMOST 70 percent of human body is composed of water. Water is life and without it no life is able to survive on earth. There’s no doubt that Pakistan is already one of the most water- stressed countries in the world, a situation that is going to degrade into outright water scarcity due to high population growth. according to a 2009 study by the Woodrow Wilson centre ,by 2025 population growth is likely to mean that Pakistan’s annual water demand rises to 338 billion cubic meters (bcm) while, unless radical action is taken, at 236 bcm. The resulting shortfall of 100 bcm would be two-third of the entire present flow of the Indus. These effects could be to turn stress into catastrophe by the end of twenty-first century.

Groundwater is now being over exploited in many areas, and its quality is declining. There is little evidence that government have reengineered their capacity and funding to deal with this challenge. and here delay is fatal, because the longer it takes to develop such actions, the greater will become the depth of the water table. I hope government will strengthen its policies regarding this grim issue.

Zubair ahMEd rind Jacobabad

Start working for the country aFTER the emergence of Pakistan, our politicians adopted a lifestyle that was beyond their means. They wasted money on the import of luxury items such as vehicles and building luxurious residences. This hindered economic growth as the primary focus was on borrowing to spend on nondevelopmental projects. Our neighbor on the contrary adopted a prudent style from the beginning. For example, while we kept import cars for our needs, they set up manufacturing facilities in their own country saving foreign exchange and building local capacity. The Tatas and the Birlas adopted a simple lifestyle in the best interests of their country and laid down a foundation for a strong economy. The citizens of India followed in the footsteps of their leaders. The result was that India did not look toward others to help them in development projects. India got economic freedom and does not depend on financial aid from other countries and institutions.

They have rather become a huge market which every country is longing to be part of. The entrepreneurs who started projects decades ago today stand among the richest in the world. We on the other stand today where we started decades ago. Our economy is completely dependent on borrowing and aid from others. Our leaders have learned nothing and continue with their royal lifestyles. While the country has been going poor by the day, our politicians and the ruling elite somehow have been thriving when it comes to personal wealth. We do not have businessmen or industrial groups that rank among the top in the world, but our ruling elite for sure is among the richest of the politicians. They have mastered the art of playing the blame game to cover up their corruption and misdeeds while the country bleeds. raJa Shafaatullah iSlaMabad

Sunday, 13 September, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

‘Tehran’: new IsraelI spy ThrIller Is OrIenTalIsT braInwashIng ONE OF THE ADVERTISEMENTS FOR ‘TEHRAN’ READS: ‘ONCE YOU’RE IN, THERE’S NO WAY OUT.’ UNFORTUNATELY, THE SAME CAN BE SAID FOR ISRAELI PROPAGANDA

Middle east eye

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Belen Fernandez

n 24 June, Haaretz ran the exuberant headline: “new Israeli Spy Thriller ‘Tehran’ Is Even Better Than ‘Fauda’” - the wildly popular netflix show that gets off on Palestinian suffering while pretending not to.

The article’s author swears that the three episodes of Tehran that she viewed “reveal a television series that is outstanding, polished and very effective by American criteria”, and that “when you watch it you will curse the screen and the broadcasting corporation, because there’s no option for binge watching”.

The series is furthermore “beautifully filmed in Athens, which suddenly looks like the capital of Iran as we imagine it” calling to mind the sensational Orientalism of like-minded productions such as Homeland, the Beirut portions of which were filmed in Tel Aviv.

'I LOVE MY HIJAB': Apple TV has purchased the new show and it is, well, pretty much exactly what you would expect from an Israeli TV show called Tehran. The storyline of the first season goes something like this: a young Mossad operative named Tamar Rabinyan, who is Iranian by birth, returns to her homeland as part of a plot to hack into Iran’s air defence system and take control of its radar so that Israel can bomb a nuclear reactor.

When the first attempt fails, Tamar extricates herself from the Iranian Mossad agent who is keeping tabs on her and shows up at the house of her late mother’s estranged sister. This aunt remained in Tehran when the rest of the family relocated to Israel, and is now mother to an ultraconserva-

tive young woman named Razieh, who is preparing for a demonstration against decadent, westernised Iranian youth by making a poster that reads: “I love my hijab.”

Tamar arranges to meet up with an Iranian named Milad, an anti-government hacker with whom she has collaborated previously (although he naturally does not know the nature of her business in Iran). Milad drags her along to - what else? - the very protest Razieh is attending, which gets her kicked out of her aunt’s house and then beaten up by Razieh and accomplices. She’s subsequently taken in by Milad at the “commune” where he and his fellow troublemakers reside.

In the fifth episode, Tamar accompanies Milad to an illegal rave in the mountains outside Tehran, where she is instructed to assist in peddling ecstasy - a main source of income for Milad and co, on account of the worthlessness of their university degrees (which we are made to understand is the fault of the Iranian government). Milad informs her that ecstasy is also a public “service” of sorts, in that it “helps [people] forget their f***ing lives for one night”.

Tamar sleeps with Milad. Tamar’s father gets kidnapped in Turkey by an Iranian agent. Milad finds out Tamar isn’t who she says she is. Tamar’s Mossad commander shows up in Tehran and instructs Tamar on the matter of which server to hack. The hacking is successful, and Israeli planes head for the reactor, convinced that they are invisible to Iranian radar. They come under attack, and it turns out the Mossad commander is working for Iran. Tamar and Milad ride off on a motorbike - and that’s the end of season one.

ISRAELI-IRANIAN DISCONNECT: According to Moshe Zonder, a co-creator of Tehran who also co-wrote Fauda, the new series “presents a different, pleasant side of Iran, which as far as I know, no western series has ever shown”. It’s anyone’s guess, of course, how a show about Israeli spies running around the Iranian capital constitutes presenting a pleasant side of the country.

But Zonder is sure of it, and also hopes that the series “will do something to help with the total disconnect between Israelis and Iranians”. Indeed, just imagine if the Islamic Republic were to produce a series

called Tel Aviv about Iranian spies trying to blow up Israel: there’d be all sorts of de-disconnecting!

An AFP article notes that Zonder likes to think of the show “as at least a cultural coproduction … ‘We speak more Farsi than Hebrew in Tehran … so to a certain extent, I would like to think that it is an Israeli-Iranian series, although officially it is not’”. niv Sultan, the Israeli actress who plays Tamar, has earned much fawning praise for supposedly mastering Farsi in four months for the role.

In an interview with Haaretz, Zonder explains that, while he doesn’t “identify” with Iran’s “Great Satan” and “Little Satan” distinctions, he “can understand where it comes from” - and then launches into a history lesson about former Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh’s nationalisation of the Iranian oil industry in 1951.

“He initiated reforms and tried to help his citizens,” Zonder says. “Two years later,

the CIA helped get him deposed and replaced him with the young shah [Mohammad Reza Pahlavi], who was a tyrant and, among other things, a good friend of Israel’s.

Our people trained the men of the SAVAK, the secret police that operated brutally on [the shah’s] behalf.”

'IRAN IS NO PARADISE': Curiously, however, exactly none of this information is addressed in Tehran. Instead, all we get are various characters lamenting how Iran used to be so great before the clerics destroyed it.

In the end, after all, the creators of Tehran aren’t really interested in legitimising pro-government Iranians; there is a specific cohort that is deemed worthy of legitimisation and promotion to the frontlines of Iranian identity. As Zonder tells Haaretz: “Tehran’s young people have a whole avantgarde scene, underground and thriving, with lots of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. There’s also a well-developed LGBT scene in

Tehran and you can see pride flags at the protest demonstrations.”

Quickly on the heels of these observations comes the reminder: “But Iran is no paradise and the ayatollahs’ regime is an oppressive, threatening and frightening one.”

Obviously, the country that merely massacres and ethnically cleanses the people whose land it stole in 1948 is nowhere near as objectionable. Similar sentiments are conveyed by Tehran director Daniel Syrkin in an Israeli television interview, in which he rues the fact that Iran - a “huge country” with an “ancient culture” and some “hundred million people” - is “portrayed in Israel just through, you know, the narrow scope of what our leaders want us to see”. Of course, Israeli leaders will have to look hard to find stuff to complain about in Tehran; the first episode alone features not only an Iranian official smacking a female tourist in the airport, but also a public hanging.

ISRAELI PROPAGANDA: Enter Milad and his ilk - the “youngsters who want a new life” - and Syrkin remarks: “For me, for us, I think that’s the most important thing … You see these young Iranians and you think, hey, they can be having a beer here in Jaffa on the beach. Or in Tel Aviv.

They look the same, they have the same aspirations, and they’re just youngsters like us, they just wanna live.” (For the record, so do Palestinians.)

As for the majority of the Iranian population that does not qualify for hypothetical beer-drinking in Jaffa, these people are effectively rendered inauthentic, backward and extreme. Granted, the demonisation is not full-out, and even pro-government characters are humanised to varying degrees. But subtle brainwashing can be just as dangerous - or even more so.

The AFP article quotes Zonder as affirming that “placing a woman at the heart of this new action series was a political decision …

It is definitely a feminist series”. Haaretz agrees that the heroine is “fighting for her place in a patriarchal world”. In short, Tehran doesn’t just normalise Israeli spying; it makes it downright revolutionary. One of the advertisements for Tehran reads: “Once you’re in, there’s no way out.” Unfortunately, the same can be said for Israeli propaganda.

Belen Fernandez is the author of Exile: Rejecting America and Finding the World and The Imperial Messenger: Thomas Friedman at Work. She is a contributing editor at Jacobin magazine.

The long history of corruption in Spanish politics THE DECADES OF MISRULE IN MODERN SPAIN

New statesMaN nICHOlaS Fearn

Visiting Spain in 2015, when the country’s unemployment rate was still a quarter of the workforce and higher than the US experienced at the deepest point of the Great Depression, I wondered aloud what so many people were doing with themselves all day. “Er, that?” said my wife, pointing over my shoulder. Behind me, 30 or 40 men were making a sport of balancing stones from the beach on top of one another. The tallest effort could not have reached more than eight or nine inches before it collapsed, but this occupied them for perhaps half an hour before they went back to shaking empty beer cans to see if any dregs were left.

The locals did not blame greedy bankers for their predicament. They had no doubt that the culprits were their own corrupt politicians. And no wonder, because while British MPs were claiming on expenses for duck houses and X-rated movies, Spanish officials were creaming off fortunes worth tens of millions of euros from the country’s building boom. As Paul Preston shows in A People Betrayed, his 13th book on Spain, this has long been the way.

The historian writes of a nation “bedevilled by a level of corruption that involved virtually every institution in the country from the

monarchy, via all the principal political parties, the banks and employers’ organisations, to the trade unions and local administrations”.

Worse was the violence used to defend this system. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936, the fascist general Emilio Mola declared: “It is necessary to spread terror… eliminating without hesitation or scruple all those who do not think as we do.” It transpired there were at least 150,000 such thinkers. These unfortunates died so that General Francisco Franco – a man the nazis rejected as an even bigger liability than Mussolini – could rule for four decades.

Franco believed he could solve every economic problem by printing money, large sums of which found its way to his family and cronies. When that failed, he employed an alchemist to boost the country’s gold reserves and another conman proffering a magical formula for synthetic oil. It was probably a mercy that the dictator spent most of his time hunting and fishing and watching political prisoners build his personal mausoleum, occasionally muttering about Jews and freemasons in between reloading his shotgun.

Even before the Civil War, the ruling class went to brutal lengths to protect its interests.

The military ended one strike in Barcelona in 1917 with an artillery barrage. When miners went on strike in Asturias in the same year, a force of army regulars and Guardia Civil responded with a harrowing of the valleys that recalled the norman conquest of England. But the framing is curious. What this account calls a “strike”, others (including some by the same author) call “the October Revolution”. In case there was doubt as to the miners’ intentions, they described themselves as “the Red Army”.

They were 30,000 strong and armed with rifles and machine guns. Arsenals were looted, banks were robbed, towns were taken. Arthur Scargill’s lot were capitalist running dogs by comparison. Preston presents this, fairly enough, as what happens when democratic

means of redress are unavailable. Unfortunately, there was no means of reprisal the authorities would deny themselves, including systematic rape of the strikers’ wives and daughters.

Amnesties for the good of the peace are one thing, but it would stretch credulity if, say, Derry’s Bogside was content to be policed by the Parachute Regiment today. Yet the same institution that now keeps Spain’s streets safe was guilty of atrocities that dwarf Bloody Sunday. The Guardia Civil were shooting and torturing striking workers well into the 1970s.

For much of the period covered here, they were glorified private bailiffs, set up to defend the mines and factories from organised labour.

The author tuts that the Barcelona police didn’t even have a proper filing system until 1895, which is rather like ending a list of Adolf Hitler’s faults with the observation that he had poor handwriting (which he did).

Preston can be a capricious tour guide. It is strange that we do not get a description (or photograph) of the bizarre garrotevil method of execution, which features many times, whereas we get a full list of the ingredients of gazpacho soup. It is possible that after you have written a dozen books on Spanish history, bizarre torture devices begin to seem commonplace, perhaps even more so than gazpacho soup. nevertheless, a helpful guide anticipates your questions and does not leave you stranded as he whisks you to the next point of interest.

We learn, for example, that the 1920s dictator Primo de Rivera liked to send brief, ill-advised “official notes” to the press in the early hours, much like Donald Trump’s tweets. Yet we have to wait what feels like a further 900 pages of a 600-page book before we see any examples (my favourite was the dictator’s complaint that journalists never mentioned his attractiveness to women). Even King Juan Carlos – he of the $100m backhanders and several thousand lovers, if recent revelations are to be believed

– is rather quiet here.

Primo and Franco are the only characters given any depth amid a blizzard of names and acronyms. One gets little sense that the innumerable other ministers and civil servants had personalities, or that the information has been weighted in accordance with importance. It seems that when it comes to misrule, even Britain’s foremost historian of 20th-century Spain is overcome by the wealth of material.

“Whether anyone can resolve endemic political incompetence remains to be seen,” Preston writes. For British Eurosceptics, a closer European Union meant moving towards less democratic accountability and more corruption. For the Spanish, despite the economic pain caused by membership of the euro, it still means travelling in the opposite direction.

It would seem there is a long way to go. It

was embarrassing for Boris Johnson when a YouGov survey in June found that only 41 per cent of Britons thought his government was doing a good job of handling the coronavirus pandemic. Whereas when precisely 41 per cent of Spaniards said the same of their local government later that month, it was reported as a political triumph. Prior to the pandemic, Spanish unemployment already stood at “only” 14 per cent, and stone balancing had become such a popular pastime that some local authorities were reportedly considering a ban to protect coastal geology. With the full economic impact of the pandemic yet to be felt, they had better hurry up.

A People Betrayed: A History of Corruption, Political Incompetence and Social Division in Modern Spain by Paul Preston, William Collins, 768pp, £30

Sunday, 13 September, 2020

BuSIneSS 09 Govt repaid debts worth Rs5tr in two years, PM’s aide claims KARACHI

PUnjaB GovT SPRinGS inTo acTion aGainST SUGaR Mill foR noT PayinG faRMeRS ISLAMABAD

TLTP

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has said that the government has successfully repaid debts worth Rs5 trillion during the last two years. He expressed these views while addressing the meeting of the business community organized by the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) on Saturday. He said the government had to take tough decisions to restore the economy affected by the coronavirus pandemic. He said efforts are being made to provide an investment-friendly atmosphere in the country.

He said that the economy is now moving forward on the right path after gaining stability due to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s prudent and timely policies. The government is confident to surpass the growth target set for the current fiscal year as the country is moving fast towards the right path on the internal and external fronts, he said. He said the government took austerity measures and reduced its expenditures, besides freezing expenditures of the military and pay of high officials. Besides freezing all expenditures, no new tax was imposed in the budget, he said, adding that no supplementary grants were approved. The expenditures of Prime Minister House were decreased by 35 per cent, while expenditures of President House were decreased by 30 per cent, the advisor further said. Shaikh said the government paid special attention to the revival of downtrodden segments of the society and Ehsaas programme was launched to provide relief to people.

When Covid-19 hit the whole world, there were two immediate challenges faced by the country. The first challenge was to save common people from its economic effects and others to protect businesses, Shaikh said. The government announced Rs1,240 billion relief package, with different components, the biggest one to transfer cash to common and vulnerable people, it was historic, he said adding, Rs 250 billion were disbursed among 16 million people without any discrimination and irrespective of geographic or political affiliation. In addition to this, the government ensured liquidity to the business community and helped them in many ways by offering soft loans, delaying their due loans, and paying utility bills of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Dr Shaikh said that there has been growth in exports, reduction in the current account deficit and stable foreign exchange reserves. The stock market has also been stable.

At the same time, however, the overall revenue collection had also increased, he added. The private sector, vulnerable segments of society, and ignored regions of the country were given special attention in the budget. He said that Rs192 billion were provided for the development of FATA areas and subsidy was given on electricity, gas and on tube-well. “When I was privatisation minister back in 2006, the then government had privatised 34 SOEs”, he said, adding since then no SOE was privatized. The adviser said the neutral institutions of the world have been appreciative of the government policies. The government has a clear policy that all tax refunds, whether fresh or old, should be paid back without any excuse, Dr Shaikh said. He said efforts are being made to provide an investment-friendly atmosphere in the country.

US budget deficit hits record $3tr NEW YORK AGENCIES

The United States (US) budget deficit hit an all-time high of $3 trillion for the first 11 months of this budget year, said the Treasury Department of USA. The ocean of red ink is a product of the government’s massive spending to try to cushion the impact of a coronavirus-fuelled recession that has cost millions of jobs. The deficit from October through to August is more than double the previous 11-month record of $1.37 trillion set in 2009 in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. With one month to go in the 2020 budget year, which ends September 30, the deficit could go even higher. The Congressional Budget Office is forecasting the deficit this year will hit a record $3.3 trillion. Next year, it predicts the deficit will exceed 100 per cent of gross domestic product – a level not seen since the huge government debt buildup in the 1940s to pay for fighting World War II.

T

SHAHZAD PARACHA

HE Punjab government has ordered that an FIR be registered against Shakargang mill limited, a sugar mill that has not paid the full dues of sugarcane farmers that they sourced their sugar from.

According to details, the the Additional Cane Commissioner Punjab has written a letter to Station House Officer Police Station Shadman, Lahore to register an FIR under section 21 of the Punjab sugar factories (control) act, 1950 against the sugar mill that has defaulted on its payments to farmers.

It stated that M/s Shakarganj Mills Limited Unit-1&11 Jhang, having their Head Office at Lahore, have defaulted in payment of full dues of the sugarcane growers. Earlier, the owner of the sugar mill was ordered via the letter to provide grower-wise detail of outstanding

payment along with date of supply of sugarcane, which is necessary for declaration of arrears of land revenue for recovery of the cane grower’s dues.

The information was required to

be submitted within 03 days, and time was extended till 2.00 pm. 12.09.2020.

However, with the intent of obstructing the process of declaration of arrears of land revenue and denying

payment to the farmers, the mill provided incorrect information. The provided information did not contain the dates of supply of sugarcane due to which the process of declaration of arrears of land revenue has been stalled.

As a result, the government decided to register an FIR against the owner of the mill, namely Ali Altaf Saleem, EFloor, I.T Tower. 73/1, Hali Road, Gulberg-III, Lahore for violating Rule 16 (10) of Punjab Sugar Factories (Control) Rules 1950, punishment of which is provided in section 21 of the Punjab Sugar Factories Control Act, 1950. FIR against the accused may be reregistered under section 21 of Sugar Factories control Act 1950.

It is pertinent to mention here that sugar mill owners do not clear the dues due to which the cane growers suffer badly. This point had also been mentioned in the sugar commission report which was made public back in April this year.

Operational safety report of PIA satisfies IOSA team KARACHI TLTP

The IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) team has expressed satisfaction on the interim report of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) after completing its audit.

A team of operational safety auditors from International Air Transport Association (IATA) paid a five-day visit to Pakistan to scrutinise safety parameters of the national carrier. The team observed improvements in the PIA operation safety measures as compared with the audit report compiled in 2018.

According to the interim audit report, the national carrier’s administration has completed 98.5 percent parameters, whereas the remaining part is due to be addressed.

The IOSA auditors have scrutinised all departments of the national airline including flight operation, passenger services, safety, security and engineering for measuring the qualitative safety measures of travellers and aircraft.

The audit is essential after every two years for the airlines to scrutinise the safety standards for the commercial aviation activities under the International Air Trans-

port Association (IATA).

After facing a ban on flight operations by the European Union (EU), it is crucial for the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to clear the audit for ending the concerns over its flight safety standards. It is noteworthy that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had in June suspended the Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) flight operations to and from Europe over safety concerns. Following the closure of Pakistan International Airlines flights to Europe, the PIA administration had decided to call back its employees deputed in Europe.

Railways announces reduction in fares, launches two new trains KARACHI TLTP

Pakistan Railways has slashed ticket charges by 10 percent across all AC business cabins, and by 5 percent across all AC standard classes on Saturday. The launch of two new trains was also announced. The concession in tickets shall be in force from Sept 21 throughout the department.

Moreover, the department announced the restoration of dining restaurant cars across all the express trains from Sept 14. It said the dining restaurant cars were restricted earlier in the wake of the Covid-19 breakout. However, now the passengers can avail breakfast, lunch, and tea among other edibles from their express trains.

In another development announced by the department the same day, Pakistan Railways decided to launch two new railway trajectories from Lahore, each to Narowal and to Sahiwal destinations. The train from Lahore, called Faiz Ahmed Faiz, shall embark on its journey to Narowal at 06:30pm

to conclude its journey at 08:55pm.

The return will take place from Narowal at 05:30am to arrive at Lahore by 07:50am.

Another train, Lasani Express, will be from Lahore en route to Sahiwal which will be scheduled to leave Lahore 03:45pm and to arrive at destination by 07:45pm.

Lasani Express shall depart from Sahiwal at 06:00am and will reach Lahore by 09:55am, according to the department.

The purpose of operating passenger trains between these destinations is to expedite the travel for the labour class, the department said.

Keeping in view the improved coronavirus situation across the country, Pakistan Railways earlier announced to restore six more passenger trains from 17th of August According to a spokesperson for PR, Hazara Express, Fareed Express, Rehman Express, Moenjo Daro Passenger would resume their operations.

Budget Turkish airline Pegasus to take off from Karachi KARACHI ARIBA SHAHID

Budget Turkish airline Pegasus is entering the Pakistani airspace competition by introducing flights to and from Karachi-Istanbul starting September 25, 2020. Earlier this year, Pegasus announced their intention of flying to and from Karachi starting June 2020, however, as a result of corona-related uncertainty and restrictions on travel, flight operations will commence on September 25. The airline plans to operate this route with the Airbus A320 aircraft. As per the schedule announced in the Press Release, Pegasus’ Karachi – Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen flights will commence on 25 September 2020. Flights from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Quaid-E-Azam International Airport will operate every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 20:35, whilst flights from Quaid-E-Azam International Airport to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport will depart every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 04:55 (local times apply). This will enable travellers to take advantage of Pegasus flight connections to destinations around the world including Manchester, London, Zurich, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Stockholm, Frankfurt, Berlin, Vienna, Rome, Cologne, Brussels, Kyiv, Bucharest, Kharkiv, Moscow, Stuttgart, Geneva, Barcelona, Marseille, Zaporizhia, and Prague, via Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen.

Considering the fact that Turkish Airlines has carried an upwards of 10.15 million passengers to and from various cities in Pakistan over a span of more than 600 flights, the aviation enthusiasts feel that Pegasus, the second Turkish Carrier in Pakistan, will be able to penetrate the market.

Moody’s downgrades Turkey to ‘B2’ with ‘negative’ outlook NEW YORK TLTP

Moody’s Investor Service downgraded Turkey’s credit rating deeper into non-investment grade territory, citing its worsening external vulnerabilities, eroding fiscal buffers and institutional challenges.

The agency downgraded Turkey’s sovereign issuer and senior unsecured debt ratings to B2 from B1, five notches below investment grade, and maintained a negative outlook on the country. The downgrading of the rate puts Turkey on par with Tanzania, Rwanda and Jamaica.

“Turkey’s external vulnerabilities are in-

creasingly likely to crystallise in a balance of payments crisis,” Moody’s said. “As the risks to Turkey’s credit profile increase, the country’s institutions appear to be unwilling or unable to effectively address these challenges.”

Moody’s downgrade comes three weeks after Fitch Ratings revised its outlook on Turkey’s long-term issuer default ratings to negative from stable. That revision was a result of the country’s financial risks increasing due to a depletion of foreign exchange reserves, weak monetary policy credibility, negative real interest rates, and a sizeable current account deficit, partly fuelled by a strong credit stimulus.

Moody’s maintained its negative outlook

on Turkey, saying that fiscal metrics could deteriorate in the coming year at a faster pace than currently expected.

It also warned of “elevated levels” of geopolitical risk, given that Turkey’s relationship with the US and the European Union as well as tensions in the eastern Mediterranean could accelerate an overall crisis.

Turkey’s foreign-exchange reserves, excluding gold, have plummeted by more than 40 per cent since at the beginning of the year to $44.9 billion as of September 4, according to the ratings agency.

The country’s foreign-currency reserves have been declining for years but are now at

CMYK

a multi-decade low as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) because of the central bank’s unsuccessful attempts to defend the lira since the beginning of 2020.

Moody’s forecasts that the country’s external vulnerability indicator (EVI), a measure of the adequacy of foreign currency reserves to cover external debt repayments and non-resident deposits, will rise to 409 per cent in 2021 from 263 per cent in 2019.

This represents higher exposure to changes in international investor sentiment.

Furthermore, dollarisation, the process of aligning a country’s currency with the US dollar, has become a significant issue for Turkey that increases the risk of a balance of

payments crisis, Moody’s said.

Currently, political pressures, limited central bank independence, a slow reaction of the monetary authorities and a lack of predictability of their reactions, increases the probability of a “disorderly exchange rate and economic adjustment,” the agency said.

While inflation remains well above target, the central bank has taken “only modest” action to tighten monetary policy.

Moody’s warned that the longer this continues, the more likely there will be “continued downward pressure” on the currency.

Turkey also suffers from labour-market “rigidities” that reduce job creation while productivity is also weak, Moody’s said.

Sunday, 13 September, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

china to release five indian nationals detained at border: report BEIJING AGENCIES

China will release five Indian nationals it detained earlier this month in a region bordering Tibet, the state-back Global Times newspaper has reported, citing unnamed sources. The five were Indian intelligence agents dressed as hunters, the paper said, disputing claims that they had been kidnapped.

Relations between China and India have been unusually tense since hand-to-hand fighting involving clubs and rocks at a disputed border area in June that killed 20 Indian soldiers, with an unknown number of Chinese casualties. Tens of thousands of troops from each side have since amassed across the disputed border On Tuesday, following reports that five Indians from the state of Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China's Tibet, had gone missing, an Indian minister said that the Chinese People's Liberation Army confirmed they had been found in China. Their disappearance coincided with a border confrontation in the western Himalayas, during which both accused the other of firing in the air. The nuclear-armed neighbours have long observed a protocol avoiding the use of firearms in the undemarcated frontier, though violence has erupted in the past. On Thursday, Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met in Moscow and agreed to de-escalate the border tensions. "The two Foreign Ministers agreed that the current situation in the border areas is not in the interest of either side.

They agreed therefore that the border troops of both sides should continue their dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions," a joint statement said. Global Times editorin-chief Hu Xijin said on the Chinese social network that China-India relations were stabilising. Observers of China's foreign relations often watch Hu's messages on social media to gauge sentiment from Beijing policymakers. "It seems that the successive meetings between the Chinese and Indian defence ministers and foreign ministers have played a positive role in cooling down the situation," Hu wrote. "In addition, the People's Liberation Army defended every inch of the country's land, and the Indian Army ultimately failed to take advantage of it." India and China have differing perceptions of what constitutes the Line of Actual Control - the de facto border - that runs through the disputed territory on their Himalayan border. The disputed and undemarcated 3,500km (2,175-mile) border between India and China stretches from the Ladakh region in the north to the Indian state of Sikkim. The two nations fought a border war in 1962 that also spilled into Ladakh and ended in an uneasy truce. Since then, troops from opposing sides have guarded the undefined mountain border area, occasionally brawling. India unilaterally declared Ladakh a federal territory and separated it from Indian-administered Kashmir in August 2019, ending its semi-autonomous status and straining the already prickly relationship between New Delhi and Beijing. Prior to the latest diplomatic breakthrough between the two sides, India had banned dozens of Chinese apps, including popular video-sharing app TikTok, and has placed restrictions on Chinese investments amid the backlash against Beijing following the deadly border clashes.

UN assembly approves paNdemic resolUtioN; Us, israel object UNITED NATIONS

t

AGENCIES

HE UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a wide-ranging resolution on tackling the coronavirus pandemic Friday over objections from the United States and Israel, which protested a successful last-minute Cuban amendment that strongly urged countries to oppose any unilateral economic, financial or trade sanctions.

The 193-member world body adopted the resolution by a vote of 169-2, with Ukraine and Hungary abstaining.

It was a strong show of unity by the UN’s most representative body, though many countries had hoped for adoption by consensus.

The resolution, which is not legally binding, is the third and most extensive adopted by the General Assembly. A resolution adopted April 2 recognized “the unprecedented effects” of the pandemic and called for “intensified international cooperation to contain, mitigate and defeat” the new coronavirus. A Mexico-sponsored resolution approved April 20 urged global action to rapidly scale up development, manufacturing and access to medicine, vaccines and medical equipment to confront the pandemic.

In Friday’s resolution, the General Assembly says the pandemic poses “one of the greatest global challenges in the history of the United Nations,” and calls for “intensified international cooperation and solidarity to contain, mitigate and overcome the pandemic and its consequences.”

The resolution urges UN member states “to enable all countries to have unhindered timely access to quality, safe, efficacious and affordable diagnosis, therapeutics, medicines and vaccines … as well as equipment for the Covid19 response.”

And it recognizes “the role of extensive immunization against Covid-19 as a global public good for health in preventing, containing and stopping transmission in order to bring the pandemic to an end, once safe, quality, efficacious, effective, accessible and affordable vaccines are available.”

Afghan Ambassador Adela Raz, who coordinated the drafting of the resolution with Croatian envoy Ivan Simonovic, told the assembly the resolution is not only a response to the disease “but a tribute to the victims,” noting that more than 900,000 people worldwide have died and over 25 million have been infected.

“The world is experiencing the worst economic recession since World War II, and equality and poverty are increasing, and more people are experiencing hunger,” she said. “We are indeed facing the most significant global catastrophe since the founding of this important organization, the United Nations.”

Raz said adoption of the resolution shows the world’s nations are ready to respond, despite failing to reach consensus, and are committed to UN goals for

2030 including ending extreme poverty, preserving the environment and achieving gender equality “for building back better after the pandemic.”

Simonovic said the great majority of nations “have chosen the path of solidarity and multilateralism” and called the resolution “a powerful tool for mobilization of political will and financial resources.”

He said political and financial support are badly needed “to curb Covid-19, strengthen our stressed health systems and to save jobs and livelihoods.”

The resolution calls on all countries “and other relevant stakeholders to advance, with determination, bold and concerted actions to address the immediate social and economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, while striving to get back on track” to achieve the 2030 goals.

It calls on governments and international financial institutions “to provide more liquidity in the financial system, especially in all developing countries.” It supports recovery plans that “drive transformative change towards more inclusive and just societies including by empowering and engaging all women and girls.”

And it urges UN member nations “to adopt a climate- and environment-responsive approach to Covid19 recovery efforts” including by aligning investments and domestic policies with the UN goals and the 2015 Paris agreement to combat climate change. Cuba succeeded in changing a paragraph in the resolution that originally called for “the urgent removal of unjustified obstacles in order to ensure the universal, timely and equitable access to, and fair distribution of, all quality, safe, efficacious and affordable essential health technologies and products, including their components and precursors that are required in the response to the Covid-

19 pandemic.”

By a vote of 132-3, the assembly amended the resolution to urge all countries “to refrain from promulgating and applying any unilateral economic, financial or trade measures not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations that impedes the full achievement of economic and social development, particularly in developing countries.”

The United States was then overwhelmingly defeated in attempts to remove two paragraphs from the resolution, one referring to women’s rights to “sexual and reproductive health” and the other to “promoting global sustainable transport.”

In addition to arguing against the language on sanctions, the United States opposed all references to the World Health Organization, which the Trump administration stopped funding, accusing the UN agency of failing to do enough to stop the virus from spreading when it first surfaced in China. It accused China of hiding the truth about the outbreak from the world in the early days which “imperiled all of us and caused needless additional suffering and death.”

Chinese diplomat Xing Jisheng responded, alluding to the recent revelation that President Donald Trump “recognized the danger of the virus at a very early stage, but deliberately played it down to avoid panic.” He asked: “Who is hiding the truth?”

Xing also asked why the U.S., with the most advanced medical system in the world, has the most COVID-19 cases. “If the United States is serious about fighting the pandemic, it should focus on protecting lives and health of its people, instead of being busy with blame-shifting,” he said.

Canada reports zero Covid-19 deaths for first time since March TORONTO AGENCIES

Canada reported zero Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours for the first time since March 15, according to public health agency data released late on Friday.

Canada’s death toll from the pandemic stood at 9,163 as of Sept. 11, the same as the number of the deaths reported on Sept. 10, government data showed.

The number of positive cases rose by 702 to 135,626 on Sept. 11 from the previous day, the data showed.

With most provinces easing lockdown restrictions and as schools reopen for in-person classes, Canada’s infections have seen a mild pick-up in recent days. Au-

thorities have been on high alert to avoid fresh outbreaks, and provinces including British Columbia have imposed new curbs to tackle the spread of the virus.

Still, Canada’s situation looks relatively healthy compared to its southern neighbor. Across the border in the United States, more than 190,000 people have died from the pandemic and more than 6.38 million people have been infected.

Canada’s experience dealing with SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, helped health officials be better prepared. SARS killed 44 people in Canada, the only country outside Asia to report deaths from that outbreak in 2002-2003.

Canada’s first recorded case of coronavirus was in

Toronto, on Jan. 25. Both Ontario, the country’s most populous province, and neighboring Quebec turned into the hot spots for Covid-19 infections.

Both provinces struggled with outbreaks in longterm care homes. Canada’s first Covid-19 death was reported on March 9 at a British Columbia long-term care facility.

As Covid-19 cases began to spike in mid-March, Canada shut its international borders to all foreign nationals and ramped up tests in an effort to isolate infected patients. Ontario and Alberta faced outbreaks among temporary foreign workers on farms and meat-processing plants, which slowed reopening in certain regions.

Oregon's wildfires force mass evacuations, but shifting weather offers some hope PORTLAND AGENCIES

Deadly wildfires raging across Oregon kept half a million people under evacuation alert on Friday even as weary firefighters took advantage of improved weather to go on the offensive against the blazes.

The fires have destroyed thousands of homes in days, making Oregon the latest epicenter in a larger summer outbreak of fires sweeping the western United States, collectively scorching a landscape the size of New Jersey and killing at least 25 people.

At least five people died in Oregon this week. Governor Kate Brown has warned the death toll could grow far higher and said on Friday that dozens of people had been reported missing in three counties.

Oregon Office of Emergency Management chief Andrew Phelps said disaster teams searching the scorched ruins of a half-dozen small towns laid to waste were bracing to en-

counter possible “mass fatality incidents.”

The Pacific Northwest as a whole has borne the brunt of an incendiary onslaught that began around Labor Day, darkening the sky with smoke and ash that has beset northern California, Oregon and Washington with some of the world’s worst air-quality levels.

The firestorms, some of the largest on record in California and Oregon, were driven by high winds that howled across the region for days during record-breaking heat. Scientists say global warming has also contributed to extremes in wet and dry seasons, causing vegetation to flourish then dry out, leaving more abundant fuel for wildfires.

‘THE PERFECT STORM’: “This is a climate damn emergency. This is real and it’s happening. This is the perfect storm,” California Governor Gavin Newsom told reporters from a charred mountainside near Oroville, California.

More than 3,900 homes and other structures have been incinerated in California

alone over the past three weeks.

In southern Oregon, an apocalyptic scene of charred residential subdivisions and trailer parks stretched for miles along Highway 99 south of Medford through the neighboring towns of Phoenix and Talent, one of the most devastated areas.

Molalla, a community about 25 miles (40 km) south of downtown Portland, was an ash-covered ghost town after its more than 9,000 residents were told to evacuate, with only 30 refusing to leave, the city’s fire department said.

The logging town was on the front line of a vast evacuation zone stretching north to within 3 miles (4.8 km) of downtown Portland. The sheriff in suburban Clackamas County set a 10 p.m. PDT (0500 on Saturday GMT) curfew to deter “possible increased criminal activity.”

Governor Brown told a news conference that more than 500,000 people were under one of three evacuation alert levels, advising

them to pack and be vigilant, to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice, or to leave immediately. About 40,000 of those had already been ordered to leave.

In neighboring Washington state, online video from the Tacoma area showed fires in a residential area setting homes ablaze and locals scurrying to warn neighbors.

“Everybody out, everybody out!” a man screamed as firefighters tried to douse the flames.

BREAK IN THE WEATHER: After four days of treacherously hot, windy weather, a glimmer of hope arrived in the form of calmer winds blowing in from the ocean, bringing cooler, moister conditions that helped firefighters make headway against blazes that had burned largely unchecked earlier in the week.

“The weather is going to be favorable for us,” said Doug Grafe, fire protection chief for the Oregon Department of Forestry, adding that the break in the weather was

forecast to continue into next week.

The overall death toll from the Western fires that began in August jumped to 25 after seven people were reported killed in mountains north of Sacramento, California, and Oregon’s fifth fatality was reported in Marion County, outside of Salem, the state capital.

Paradise, a town blasted by California’s deadliest wildfire in 2018, posted the world’s worst air quality index reading at 592, according to the PurpleAir monitoring site, as two of the state’s largest blazes burned on either side of it.

In southern Oregon, police arrested a 42year-old man on Friday for starting a fire in the town of Phoenix, the Jackson County Sheriff’s office said.

The suspect named Michael Bakkela, described as a “local transient”, has been charged with arson, criminal mischief and reckless endangering, the office said in a press release.

Sunday, 13 September, 2020

OPPOsIng gAMePLAns cOLLIde As engLAnd seeK LessOns In defeAT

A

NEWS DESK

USTRALIA'S successful defence of 294 on a surface that offered batsmen a fine balance between risk and reward was also a rebuke to the big-hitting blueprint that has made England the frontrunners in this format - albeit that coming into the series Eoin Morgan had expressed the hope that his side could expand their range while preparing for a World Cup in India in three years' time.

In that regard, their recovery from a most parlous Powerplay to lose by 19 runs, on the back of Sam Billings' maiden hundred, was a nugget of encouragement for

the home side.

The dividends for Australia, playing their first one-dayer since March, were more obvious. For Aaron Finch, the matchturning stand of 126 between Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell was both boon and balm, helping to sooth the long-standing sore spot that is Australia's ODI middle order. That Finch has the attack at his disposal to protect such totals was a matter of less quibbling, but the way they tore into England at the top - led by the magnificent Josh Hazlewood - reinforced the sense they can still play the game on their own terms.

The circumstances in which Australia's sixth-wicket pair came to the fore were also encouraging. Only twice in their last

Premier League target Thiago Alcantara reports for Bayern Munich training Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who has been linked to Liverpool and Manchester United, took part in Bayern Munich's first full training session on Friday in preparation for the new season. With a year left on his contract, the 29-year-old has stalled over signing an extension with the Champions League winners having been linked to the two Premier League sides. Club bosses say the central midfielder has told them he wants a "fresh challenge" after seven years in Munich. However, last weekend Alcantara stated "I have never said I want to leave". Holders Bayern kick-off the new Bundesliga season next Friday by hosting Schalke 04 with Alcantara one of several players whose future is unclear. Austria defender David Alaba, who also trained Friday, is another stalling over extensions talks. The 28-year-old, the only product of Bayern's academy in the starting side, is reportedly seeking a salary raise to earn around 20 million euros ($24 million) per season. Likewise, midfielder Javi Martinez, 32, whose contract also expires in 2021, has been linked to a transfer back to Spain or a move to China. On Monday, Bayern head coach Hansi Flick, who missed Friday's session to attend a funeral, admitted the uncertainty makes planning "not quite so easy". However, as long as first-choice stars Alaba and Alcantara are in his squad, "I'm planning with them". Bayern have already lost Ivan Perisic, Philippe Coutinho and Alvaro Odriozola - all signed on loan for a season who were part of the squad which won the Champions League final on August 23. Flick knows Bayern must "make up for" the loss, especially as the European champions face a punishing opening schedule. "We will need good quality across the board," Flick added as Bayern face Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup on September 24, then Dortmund a week later for the German Super Cup. The 55-year-old wants to finalise his squad - "I hope October is soon" - with the transfer window closing on October 5. Sports director Hasan Salihamidzic is looking for a right-back, to replace Odriozola, and another winger to back up Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman. Flick has also said Sane, signed in July from Manchester City, must improve his defensive game. "We will continue working intensively when not in possession. He must also get involved. This will be a change for him," Flick added.

19 ODIs have Australia won without a 50plus contribution from Finch, David Warner or Steven Smith (the other was against New Zealand at Lord's during the World Cup). In achieving the right balance between repair job and counterattack, Marsh and Maxwell looked capable of finding the combination to unlock Australia's batting potential.

England could still reflect that had Tom Banton, fielding as a substitute at long-on, been slightly more alert to the chance offered when Maxwell had scored just 10, their target might have been more in the region of 195. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, both back in the side for the first time since the World Cup final, gave

England's attack greater cutting edge, though the burden for taking middle-overs wickets still lies heavily on Adil Rashid.

There was also a rustiness to their batting, with Jason Roy still searching for form after returning from injury and Joe Root playing his first limited-overs international since February. Nothing exemplified England's initial struggle, in the face of some top-rank bowling, more than Jonny Bairstow scratching his way to 22 off 58 (strike rate 37.9). That he fought through to make 84, alongside Billings helping to give them a puncher's chance during the closing stages, should keep Australia on their guard going into the second game.

Adelaide Oval’s onsite hotel to serve as bio-secure bubble for India-Australia Tests

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Ali Khan becomes first American cricketer to join IPL NEWS DESK For the first time in history, the IPL will see participation by an American cricketer after Kolkata Knight Riders signed Ali Khan, a 29year-old fast bowler from the USA, a report in ESPNcricinfo states. He will replace the injured Harry Gurney, who pulled out of the IPL and is set to undergo a shoulder injury.

Khan was part of the Trinbago Knight Riders’ squad which remained unbeaten en route to their CPL title win. In the tournament, Khan picked up eight wickets from eight matches with an economy rate of 7.43. As per reports, Khan was on KKR’s radar last season as well but no deal could be worked out. Khan rose to prominence during the 2018 Global T20 Canada, where he caught the attention of star all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who brought the youngster to the CPL. That year, Khan picked up 16 wickets from 12 matches for Guyana Amazon Warriors, the second-most by a fast bowler in the season. Bravo, in one of his Instagram stories, posted a video with Khan, Brendon McCullum and a few more inside a plan with the caption “Next stop Dubai.” Khan was selected in a USA squad for the first time for the 2016 Auty Cup and ICC WCL Division Four in Los Angeles. On his CPL debut, Khan dismissed Kumar Sangakkara with his first delivery. Back in December 2019, in an interview, Ali, who had registered for the IPL auction, had said getting picked in the IPL would be like a ‘dream come true’.

Afridi among overseas players for Lanka Premier League auction

AGENCIES The Adelaide Oval’s onsite hotel is set to serve as a bio-secure bubble for the Australian men’s squad ahead of the highprofile Test series against India later this year, according to media reports.

Cricket Australia (CA) announced on Saturday that its national squad would return form the current tour of the UK to Adelaide for its mandatory quarantine period and preparation for the upcoming home season, including the tour by India, a report in cricket.com.au said. Those players not involved in the Indian Premier League, as well as coaching and support staff, will make the Adelaide Oval their home once the white-ball tour of England

concludes following Wednesday’s third ODI in Manchester.

They can train throughout their quarantine period at the new Oval Hotel based at Adelaide Oval. For Australia players like Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Wade, the quarantine period at Adelaide Oval bio-secure bubble will mark the start of preparation for a Test summer against heavyweights India and potentially Afghanistan.

“I can’t wait for India to come out ... that’s the pinnacle, like the Ashes,” Lyon was quoted as saying by the report in cricket.com.au. “You look at the great players India’s got, it’s going to be a massive challenge.”

According to the report, CA also

“remains in productive conversations with state governments regarding arrival and quarantine arrangements for the Indian team, as well as Australian players returning from the IPL in the UAE”.“We are happy that we are able to assist the Australian men’s cricket team on their return to South Australia and at Adelaide Oval in the Oval Hotel,” said SACA Chief Executive Keith Bradshaw in a CA statement.

“Rest assured we have undergone rigorous procedures with Premier Steven Marshall and the SA Government, to ensure the safety of the public and the players. Our hope is that the Oval Hotel can continue to be used in the successful staging of international cricket this season.”

Former all-rounder Shahid Afridi is among the 150-odd overseas players to go under the hammer for the inaugural Lanka Premier League auction to be held on October 1.

Former India fast bowler Munaf Patel and West Indies cricketers Chris Gayle and Daren Sammy, Bangladesh star Shakib Al Hasan, West Indies batsman Darren Bravo, England’s Ravi Bopara, Colin Munro of New Zealand and South Africa’s Vernon Philander have also been included for the auction. Five franchises will play in the inaugural edition of LPL which is scheduled to run from November 14 to December 6. The tournament was to be held in August but postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said in a statement.

Patel, 37, retired from all forms of cricket in 2018 after playing in 13 Tests, 70 ODIs and three T20Is. He made his debut in 2006 and was a member of India’s 2011 World Cupwinning team. He had earlier played in the T10 League in the UAE. Each franchise can buy up to six international players. A total of 30 international cricketers and 65 local cricketers are expected to make up the five teams which will have 19 players each. The matches will be played in Dambulla, Pallekele and Hambantota international stadiums. The LPL launch will be held in Hambantota. However, the Sri Lankan government is yet to give approval for a shorter quarantine period for players, officials and broadcast staff. It is this hurdle that had forced the postponement of the LPL, originally slated to begin in late August. The SLC officials have asked for a shorter quarantine period of seven days for those arriving in the country for this tournament, from the present 14-day period. Quarantine protocols in Sri Lanka are very strict in order to prevent the spread of the virus. AGENCIES

Zverev erases 2-set hole, will face Thiem in US Open final NEW YORK AGENCIES

For two full sets, Alexander Zverev was confused and listless, his body language as poor as his winner-to-error ratio against Pablo Carreño Busta in the U.S. Open semifinals Friday.

Zverev double-faulted and smacked his left high. He put a backhand into the net to cede the opening set and covered his face with both hands. He netted a forehand early in the next set, then turned a forlorn face toward his guest box and put his palms up.

When he pushed a backhand long after 1 hour, 25 minutes of play and shook his head, Zverev trailed by two sets, a deficit the 23-year-old German never had overcome. Never had been to a Grand Slam final, either. Done and done. Zverev con-

structed quite a comeback, getting his game in gear to beat a fading Carreño Busta 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 and reach the title match at Flushing Meadows.

Zverev, the No. 5 seed, will play No. 2 seed Dominic Thiem on Sunday, and one will walk away with his first Grand Slam trophy in a mostly empty Arthur Ashe Stadium; spectators were barred because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Mentally, I stayed in it. ... A lot of players would have gone away,” Zverev said.

“There’s no easy matches anymore. Sometimes you have to dig deep. Today I dug deep, dug very deep.”

Thiem, a 27-year-old from Austria, won a far more entertaining match Friday night, holding off 2019 U.S. Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5). Medvedev

held a set point in both the second and third, but Thiem hung in there both times and now will try to improve his 0-3 record in Grand Slam finals. He has lost to Rafael Nadal at the French Open the past two years and to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open this February.

“I love these big matches — even more when there’s a full stadium, but it’s also great in front of many, many TV spectators,” Thiem said. “To face the best guys in the world, that’s what I do the hard work for all the time at home and in the offseason.”

The No. 3-seeded Medvedev hadn’t dropped a set all tournament until facing Thiem. He’d been broken just three times, a total Thiem matched by Friday’s second set.

In an interlude redolent of his heel turn at Flushing Meadows a year ago, Medvedev

CMYK

got into it with chair umpire Damien Dumusois — yes, the very same official who cited him for yanking a towel from a ballperson in 2019, prompting boos from fans and some egging on from the Russian — and Grand Slam supervisor Wayne McKewen in the first set.

This time, the starting point was a dispute with Dumusois over whether Medvedev challenged a call in time.

Medvedev walked around the net to take a closer look at the mark and was called for a code violation, so he started chirping at the chair umpire, saying “Why, because you’re not smart?” at one point, and “U.S. Open is a joke, right?” at another.

Then, turning his attention to McKewen, who was at courtside, and smothering his words with sarcasm, Medvedev said: “Sorry,

I think I killed someone, right? Sorry, I was so bad to cross the net. Sorry. My apologies.

My sincere apologies to the U.S. Open for crossing the net. Oh, my God.” After the match, Medvedev still thought he was in the right — “I mean, what did I do? Did I hurt someone? Did I do something rude?” — but acknowledged he shouldn’t have gotten so angry.

“I lost my concentration,” Medvedev said. Thiem led 4-2 there and raced through that set. Medvedev went up an early break in the second and was two points from taking it while ahead 5-3 and Thiem serving at love-30, but couldn’t came through.

Medvedev held a set point at 6-5 in the tiebreaker and faltered again, even though Thiem felt something in his right heel while chasing a drop shot.

Sunday, 13 September, 2020

PRAyER TImINGS

NEWS

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

5:01

12:28

4:54

6:17

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CountRywiDe pRoteStS HelD to DemanD SteRn aCtion againSt CulpRitS of motoRway gang Rape

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NEWS DESK

ARGE demonstrations and protests took place across all major cities of the country on Saturday after a group of men committed a brutal gang rape on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway a few days ago.

The protests organised by a number or women’s groups and progressive parties, protests in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad took to major avenues to demand justice for the atrocity, as well as systemic change to stop such incidents from happening again. In addition to calls for transparent and effective investigations into such issues, another major demand of the protesters was the removal of Lahore CCPO, Umer Sheikh.

The CCPO, whose appointment had already come under a cloud of controversy, had first made a statement criticising the victim of the gang rape. He later double down on his stance, and refused to apologise despite calls for him to retract his insensitive, and needless statement.

The organisers of the Aurat March Protests in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad all helped organise the protests in their respective cities by the name of ‘mera jism mer

marzi march.’ The marches demanded that public spaces be made safe for women, radical procedural and institutional changes, the banning of the two finger test, and the establishment of cells for the reporting of gender based violence. The charter of demands also included implementation of legislation related to criminal offences such as rape and the protection of transgender persons, endersensitive curricula be introduced and government spending on women’s health, education and safety be increased.

Women at the protests chanted slogans and carried placards and posters demanding their rights and justice for the victim of the recent rape, and that the men who committed the crime be brought to justice. In Lahore, a large number of protesters gathered at the liberty round about in Gulberg, where a large number of women took up the front of the protest. Men there for support stood behind.

The same pattern was followed in Karachi, where the protest took place at the Karachi Press Club, and in Islamabad.

The protests presented a picture of resistance and women coming together to declare that they have had enough not just of sexual violence committed by men, but also by the culture in society that surrounds how women

50 feared dead in DR Congo mine collapse KINSHASA: At least 50 people are feared dead after a gold mine collapsed in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), local authorities have said. The accident in the makeshift mine occurred on Friday about 3pm local time (13:00 GMT) following heavy rains in the town of Kamituga in South Kivu province.

Provincial governor Theo Ngwabije Kasi deplored "the tragic deaths of 50 people, most of them young". Kamituga Mayor Alexandre Bundya blamed "soil subsidence caused by torrential rain" for the accident and said "the exact number of victims" was not yet known. He declared a two-day mourning period and urged local residents to help extract the bodies from the ground. "Several miners were in the shaft which was covered and no one could get out," said Emiliane Itongwa, president of the Initiative of Support and Social Supervision of Women, a local mining NGO. Photos and videos on social media showed hundreds of people at the site, some of whom could be heard wailing on a hillside around the mine-shaft entrance.

"Kamituga is in mourning," wrote Dieudonne Bazika, who shot and posted a video on his Twitter account. Jean Nondo, a local resident who was at the scene, said that "according to witnesses, there are more than 50 dead. There is only one survivor." He said a river close to the mine had flooded after torrential rain. "Water went into the three tunnels. When people tried to get out, there was no way as the water was flowing strongly, with high pressure," Nondo told the media. The mine was not located on the Kamituga gold concession owned by the Canadian miner Banro Corporation, the company's chief executive said. Thousands of informal miners operate in and around mines in DRC, which produces more than half of the world's cobalt, a key component in electric car batteries. Mining accidents are common, with dozens of deaths every year in mines where often ill-equipped diggers burrow deep underground in search for ore. Last year, a landslide at a disused gold mine killed 16 people in October, while 43 people died in another landslide at a copper and cobalt mine in June. TLTP

are seen. Their demands included far reaching reforms that would allow women to be treated like equal citizens. Victims of sexual assault were also among those protesting, and made their own voices heard as well, and stood in solidarity with other women.

A number of prominent women’s right activists and personalities attended the protests in the different cities. Speaking to media in the federal capital, president of the

Women’s Democratic Forum (WDF), Ismat Shahjehan, said that women, children and even animals are not free or safe in Pakistan.

“They (women) are unsafe around their relatives at home and around male colleagues in their offices,” she said. “A state which failed to provide justice was unacceptable and called for effective punishment instead of strict punishment.”

She also warned against those calling for

South China Sea: FM Qureshi for finding solution through consensus ISLAMABAD STAFF RPEORT

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the ongoing negotiations of Code of Conduct on the issue of South China Sea and underlined that the concerned parties may find a solution through consensus.

The foreign minister said this on Saturday while addressing the 27th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which was held online. The meeting was chaired by Vietnam and attended by foreign ministers and senior government officials of the ASEAN Regional Forum. The foreign minister called for a concerted international effort to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and to develop a vaccine that is accessible to all as a global public good.

He also highlighted Prime Minister

Imran Khan’s “Global Initiative on Debt Relief” for the developing countries to help create enhanced fiscal capacity to tackle the negative economic consequences of the pandemic.

Foreign Minister Qureshi also apprised the forum of the progress made

by Pakistan in the field of counter-terrorism. Furthermore, he urged the ASEAN regional forum members to raise voice against the rise of “Islamophobia” and extremist tendencies in the region and around the globe. While emphasizing Pakistan’s commitment to inter-faith harmony, the foreign minister informed that Pakistan took the milestone step of opening the Kartarpur Corridor last year to facilitate Sikh pilgrims from India and elsewhere.

The foreign minister condemned moves by states to alter the demographics of disputed territories under their il-

legal occupation and stressed the importance of peaceful resolution of disputes according to relevant UN Security Council resolutions. The foreign minister underscored that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan is central to regional peace. Highlighting Pakistan’s positive contributions, he reaffirmed Pakistan’s steadfast support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process.

Noting that the US-Taliban Peace Agreement of 29 February 2020 represented a significant step forward, the foreign minister underlined the importance of an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement through intra-Afghan negotiations. The Foreign Minister also announced that Pakistan will be co-hosting the 24th ARF Heads of defence universities/ colleges/institutions meeting with Malaysia in 2021.

India reports record daily jump in Covid-19 cases for second straight day NEW DELHI India reported a record daily jump in coronavirus cases for a second consecutive day, logging 97,570 new infections on Saturday, data from the federal health ministry showed.

With total cases of more than 4.65 million, India is the world’s second-worst affected country, trailing only the United States, which has more than 6.4 million cases.

But the growth in infections in India is faster than anywhere else in the world, as cases surge through urban and rural areas. The western state of Maharashtra has been particularly hard-hit, with total confirmed cases breaching the 1 million mark late on Friday, making it the first state or

province anywhere in the world to cross that mark.

If the state, which is India’s richest, were a country, it would rival Russia for the fourth-highest number of coronavirus cases globally. Government officials and experts said the unabated rise in cases in Maharashtra and other parts of the country were likely a result of economic activity re-starting, local festivals and lockdown fatigue.

“I am so disappointed with the pandemic situation in India,” Bhramar Mukherjee, a professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of Michigan, who has been tracking India’s COVID situation closely, said on Twitter. AGENCIES

Erdogan warns Macron 'not to mess with Turkey' amid Mediterranean tensions AGENCIES Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron "not to mess" with Turkey, as tensions between the NATO allies escalate.

In a speech Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that French President Emmanuel Macron was targeting him.

"Don’t mess with the Turkish people.

Don't mess with Turkey," Erdogan said

during a televised speech in Istanbul on the 40th anniversary of the 1980 military coup. “You will have many more problems with me,” he added.

On Friday, Marcon said that Europe needed to be “clear and firm” with Erdogan’s government over its actions.

France and Turkey, both NATO members, have been at odds over an arms embargo for Libya and over the situation in the eastern Mediterranean, where Paris is supporting Greece and Cyprus, who say Turkey is looking for oil and gas in their

waters. Turkey says it has equal rights to the resources in those waters.

Erdogan also postulated that France has no right to criticise Turkey because it also had a colonial past.

Later the same day, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday announced a "robust" arms purchase programme and an overhaul of the country's military amid the tensions with Turkey.

"The time has come to reinforce the armed forces... these initiatives constitute a robust programme that will become a

national shield," the PM said in a keynote address in the northern city of Thessaloniki.

Mitsotakis said Greece would acquire 18 French-made Rafale warplanes, four multi-purpose frigates and four navy helicopters, while also recruiting 15,000 new troops and pouring resources into the national arms industry and cyber-attack defence. Mitsotakis is believed to have hammered out the programme after talks with Macron during a southern European leaders summit in Corsica this week.

measures such as public hangings, saying that this would mean having to hang half the population of the country. “There are people rapists in this country sitting behind pulpits at mosques and all the way up to the parliament,” she said.

Maria Malik of the Awami Workers Party said women in Pakistan spent their lives in fear and when they talked about freedom, they were abused. She said rapists would continue to flourish in society as long as the powerful escaped prosecution by the law. “A child was kidnapped from the area around the prime minister’s home and his body was found later. How can a leader who cannot provide justice in his surroundings ensure justice for women?” she questioned.

Meanwhile, as quoted by another media outlet, Maria Malik of the Awami Workers Party said women in Pakistan spent their lives in fear and when they talked about freedom, they were abused. She said rapists would continue to flourish in society as long as the powerful escaped prosecution by the law. “A child was kidnapped from the area around the prime minister’s home and his body was found later. How can a leader who cannot provide justice in his surroundings ensure justice for women?” she questioned.

Shattered dreams compel 14 Hindus to return home At least 14 members of the country’s Hindu minority community returned from India after six months, saying their dreams of better economic prospects in the neighboring country had been shattered, Anadolu Agency reported. Speaking to reporters at the Wagah border crossing, Kanhaya Lal and Nanak Ram, the heads of the families, said they went to India hoping for better economic prospects, but it was a “farce” and they suffered great hardships.

India recently passed a contentious law allowing Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains and Christians from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh to apply for fast-track citizenship. Last month, a family of 11 Hindus, migrated from Pakistan, was found dead in a rented farmhouse in the city of Jodhpur in India’s Rajasthan state. The daughter of one Budha Ram, who was among those killed, had registered a case with Shahdadpur police station, accusing India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) for the crime. The first information report (FIR) revealed Ram had decided to return to Pakistan to expose spy traps offered by the Indian spy agency. “I knew that family, and most of them were educated. But there are no opportunities for any outsiders in India,” Lal told Anadolu Agency. “The fact is they were living in miserable conditions and suffered from extreme poverty and there were dangerous threats to their lives,” Lal said. He said more than 28,000 Pakistan Hindus are stranded in Jodhpur waiting to return home. NEWS DESK

Saudi-led coalition airstrikes hit Houthi military site in Sanaa SANAA: The Saudi-led coalition warplanes launched a series of air strikes on a military camp under control of the Yemeni Houthi militia in Yemen's capital Sanaa early on Saturday, residents and Houthis said. The attack at dawn destroyed the Military Engineering Unit in Sawan neighbourhood in the eastern part of Sanaa, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported. There were no civilian casualties, according to the Sanaa residents. The airstrikes came after a series of cross-border missile and drone attacks by the Yemeni Houthi militia against Saudi Arabia since the beginning of this week. All Houthi attacks had been intercepted, according to the coalition statements. Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. The Saudi-led military coalition intervened in the Yemen conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government. TLTP

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